


Eyes of Violet

by macadoodle1996



Series: Century [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Lucius Malfoy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Child Abuse, Draco Malfoy Has a Sibling, Evanna Belinda Malfoy-OC, Evil Lucius Malfoy, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Gen, Heir of Hogwarts Founders, Heir of Slytherin, Hogwarts Inter-House Unity, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Mind Reader, Parent Voldemort (Harry Potter), Parseltongue, Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Series, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Slow Burn, Slytherin Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-06-22 04:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 46,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19660108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macadoodle1996/pseuds/macadoodle1996
Summary: Evanna Belinda Malfoy knows that her parents have been keeping secrets all her life. Only now that she is at Hogwarts, those secrets are starting to unravel as new powers reveal themselves and new friends make her question everything she has known.





	1. Prologue

Samhain  
Britannia   
Near the end of the Roman Invasion

Thunder roared.

The little girl jumped, clutching onto her mother’s skirts. Her mother grabbed her hand and pulled her forward towards the standing stones.

“You must stay close to me, Alastrine,” her mother chided, violet eyes flashing in light of the lightning. “Tis Samhain--you are just as likely to be stolen by the faeries as the invaders this night.”

The circle was already full of women in white dresses. Some were fair, some were dark, but Alastrine could see flashes of their violet eyes all around. In the center, three women stood. One was stooped with age, nearly bent in half with braided hair turned to stone by time--the crone. The second was young and fair, tanned face normally full of life and joy, though this night it was darkened by the seriousness of their situation. She was the maid. The third’s wild black curls had been slicked to the side of her face by the rain, her round stomach straining against her robes. The mother. 

“Mama, I--”

“Hush, storeen,” her mother said. 

The crone had stepped, the maid helping her to stand on a rock, that she might be seen and heard. 

“Our way of life is threatened, my daughters!” she said in a strong voice that belied her age. “These foreign invaders seek to overthrow us--they wish to swamp our ancient magic of peace and understanding to replace it with war and intolerance!”

Women all around were murmuring worriedly. Alastrine tugged on her mother’s robes, but her mother simply wrapped a hand around her mouth, effectively telling her child to be silent.

“We must act now.”

“But what can we do, grandmother?” a voice shouted from the crowd. The maid then stepped onto the stone beside the crone. 

“We unite our powers,” she called. “We put them all into one child so that léitheoir aigne may be preserved.”

Her mother gasped at the pronouncement. Alastrine looked up at her, questions racing through her eyes. Her mother turned away, refusing to answer those questions. 

“Lose our power?”

“Surely that’s too much?”

“We will be lost!”

“We will be lost no matter what we do now,” the mother said in a dark voice, stepping forward, though not climbing atop the stone. Suddenly she groaned and clutched her belly. “There is no time to argue--the Romans come for us now! If we do not act, then all is lost. Is it not better for one to carry on the Gift than for hundreds with it to perish? Táimid ar cheann!”

There was a low murmuring throughout the crowd. Then, Alastrine’s mother stepped forward. 

“Táimid ar cheann,” she said. “The Gift cannot vanish from the world--and I will not allow my youngest daughter to be slaughtered by the invaders either! We must do as the Three say!”

As her mother said this, Alastrine could not stop watching her eyes. They had always been a bright shade of violet, dancing and fun and mysterious and beautiful. The same as Alastrine’s. But, now--now they were darkening, flashing between the dancing violet they had always been and a dark, dull brown. Alastrine tried to shrink away, but her mother pulled her forward.

“Say it with me, storeen,” her mother whispered. “Táimid ar cheann!”

Alastrine looked at her mother wide-eyed and then turned to see the Three staring at her. She mumbled it at first. Then she grew louder. 

“Táimid ar cheann. Táimid ar cheann.”

Voices were joining theirs. The stones around them seemed to glow. Alastrine felt dizzy as all the violet eyes around her began to darken and change. Only the Three stood silent. A bolt of lightning struck the stone in the center, illuminating the whole circle. 

The mother clutched her stomach and screamed.

October 31, 1981  
Wiltshire, England  
The Fall of the Dark Lord

It was raining still. 

The woman clutched the toddler to her chest as he wailed his terror at the raging storm outside. Her husband’s pained shout had woken them both before he sped out of their home, clutching his left forearm. The baby wailed and the wife prayed that he would return soon as she desperately tried to soothe their son. 

She heard a pounding at the front door. Hoping against hope that her husband was already home, she opened the door. 

Outside was not her husband, but a woman who was her opposite in almost every way. Her dark curly hair was slicked to her face, in stark contrast to straight blonde locks. The new woman’s face was strong--sharp angles and hooded eyes in contrast to a fairy chin and doe-eyes. But, perhaps most striking was her figure. Where the first was slight and slender, the second was heavy with child. 

“It’s coming,” the dark woman panted.

The fair one helped the laboring mother into the house, Transfiguring a nearby couch into a bed. Soon it was a steady rhythm of screams and pushes as a House Elf continously brought water, towels and took care of the toddler. 

After many hours, the fair one was holding another small child with the beginnings of dark curls on its head. 

“It’s a girl.”

The dark one turned away and fell asleep, leaving the fair one to tend to both children. She looked down into the newborn’s face as the girl opened her eyes for the first time. 

Violet eyes.

The next thing the fair one knew, the dark woman was up, moving stiffly to the door. 

“Wait, stop!” the fair one said, startling both children. They began to wail. “What is going on? You come to my doorstep, you deliver your child--my husband is missing! Explain this to me, now!”

The dark one looked at her with dark eyes and shook her head, continuing her path to the door. The fair one grabbed onto her. 

“Wait! At least tell me your daughter’s name!” the fair one said, tears filling her eyes. 

“It doesn’t matter,” the dark one said viciously. “Name the spawn whatever you want, she is of no use anymore.”

“She’s an infant!”

“She was supposed to begin a dynasty!” the other woman snarled. “But that is over--it’s all over. My mission has changed--and an infant cannot do anything for vengeance.”

“What about her father then--your husband can--”

The dark one scoffed. “You haven’t lost your childhood naivete, have you?” she said. “Do whatever you want with the child. Stand by your husband, raise your perfect little family. I am doing what needs to be done to avenge her father.”

The fair one gaped after her and the open door. Within moments, the dark woman had disappeared into the early morning mist. The newborn began to cry.

“Hush, baby,” the woman whispered, bouncing the tiny baby gently in an effort to quiet her before she woke her son. “You need a name don’t you? Hmmmm…”

She paced the length of the entry way, turning and pacing and bouncing. Until the last time she turned, walking straight into something hard and warm. She looked up to see her husband.

“Oh thank Merlin, you’re home! I was so afraid--” she cut herself off, taking in her husband’s face. “Darling? Darling, what happened?”

Her husband looked her straight in the eyes and then said the words that explained away all the strange happenings of Halloween 1981. 

“The Dark Lord is gone.”


	2. Chapter 1

"Again!"

Evanna Belinda Malfoy brushed the hairs that had fallen out of her ponytail out of her face before turning back to her father.

"Do I really have to?" she whined. The blonde man narrowed his eyes before sending a red curse her way. She dodged, but not quite in time to miss the hornet sting. Her hand began swelling almost immediately as tears sprung unwillingly to her eyes. She was allergic. He knew she was allergic.

"Strike back, Evanna!" he ordered.

"But, Father, I-"

He didn't say anything, but sent another hex at her. This time, she dodged it fully and sent back her own curse. He gave the barest hint of a nod and continued flinging spells at her. Each spell, her reactions slowed as her breathing became more and more labored and her tongue became heavy in her mouth.

"Father! Evanna!" a voice sounded inside the house. Her father frowned.

"We're done for today," he said and with a wordless flick of his wand, Evanna could breathe again, the swelling in her tongue and hand all but vanishing. "Go and see your brother."

Evanna nodded, ever playing the good daughter just as Lucius played the good father. She followed him into the Manor, demurely wiping the sweat from her brow with a towel on her way in. Her brother was waiting with their mother in the entryway of the Manor home, practically bouncing with excitement.

The two siblings were dissimilar in every way. Draco was already beginning to get that stretched out, lanky look that teenaged boys had, whilst Evanna was so short that many assumed her to be several years younger than her brother rather than barely a year. His silver blonde hair was slicked to his head with gel, her untamed black curls were slicked to her head with sweat. His eyes were the steely grey that was expected of a Malfoy; hers bright violet. Their father chided him and berated him constantly in public; he all but beat Evanna in their training sessions in private.

"Look, I was the second in my year, first in Slytherin, Father!" Draco was saying excitedly, handing a roll of parchment over to their father.

"Second? And who was first?" their father drawled. Draco's face fell.

"Hermione Granger," he mumbled, not quite meeting anyone's eyes.

"Hmm… Granger?" their father mused. "I've not heard of that name. What family is she from?"

Muggleborn. Evanna wasn't quite sure where the thought had come from, but she could feel the dread rolling off Draco in waves.

"She's not," Draco mumbled.

"Diction, Draco," their father snapped. "I do not abide mumbling."

"She's muggleborn, father," Draco said more clearly. It seemed to break a dam. "She's an annoying little know-it-all that all the teachers favor just because she's friends with stupid Harry Potter and-"

"The heir to one of the great families of Wizarding Britain was outdone in school by a first-year Mudblood?" their father said in a low voice. Evanna winced, knowing how cruel their father would be.

"Draco! Darling, what are you still doing in those wrinkled school robes?" their mother said. Narcissa was all warmth and sunshine to Lucius' dark iciness. "And, Evanna, you must get out of those dirty training clothes and into some proper robes before dinner."

"We were just discussing what a credit Evanna will be to Slytherin House next year, after such a disappointing year," Lucius said slyly, eyes trained on his son. "After seven years to lose the House Cup… And a Gryffindor Mudblood top in the year…"

"Oh, don't use such uncouth language in front of the children, Lucius," Narcissa said. Draco was shooting Evanna dirty looks. "Go along, children, go get changed. Dinner will be ready shortly."

Both children were shooed away by their mother up the stairs, Draco muttering all the way.

"Don't know why Father is always so bloody enamored with you," he mumbled. "Just watch-I bet you won't even be in Slytherin."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Evanna snapped, rounding on her brother at the top of the stairs. He looked at her, wide-eyed.

"I didn't say anything!" he replied. Evanna narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's not my bloody fault that instead of studying you were off trying to lure Harry Potter into duels and all the rest you kept writing letters about!" she said, ignoring him completely. "And Father is far from enamored with me! So just keep your bloody thoughts to yourself!"

"But I-"

Evanna turned and stomped off, ignoring Draco completely. The thought of being in the same House as him at Hogwarts was horrible. The thought of being in the same House as all the Malfoys before her was even worse.

Come September, she would not be Sorted into Slytherin. It was simply too terrible to bear.


	3. Chapter 2

Evanna woke slowly, turning langoriously in the bed and looking at the light streaming in the window, the birds chirping pleasantly outside and nearly smiled. Then she realized. 

It was a Tuesday. 

A training day. 

Heart in her throat, she leapt out of bed, running to her dresser to pull out the tight pants and top that she always wore to train with her father in. Robes were too easy to catch fire or cause her to lose concentration, which was not desirable during these sessions. Her father reserved that for the sneak attacks he would do whenever he was home, most often when she was finally able to do something she loved, like paint or sing while Draco played piano. 

“Dobby!” she screeched. The elf took more than his usual time to arrive though, which set her suspicions rising. The horrid little creature always seemed to be up to something. 

“Yes, Young Mistress?” he said in that simpering way of his. 

“You were supposed to wake me up!” she snapped, aiming a kick at him. “Father will kill me for being late!”

“Dobby is most sorry, Mistress,” he said as she rushed behind the Chinese silk changing screen in her room. “But Mistress doesn’t have training today.”

“It’s a Tuesday, you little ingrate,” she snarled, tying her waist-length wild hair into a quick plait as she laced up her boots. 

“But, but--”

“Evanna, darling!” her mother’s voice sounded at the door right before she walked in. “Whatever are you wearing those clothes for? I sent you up here to get her ready, elf!”

“Mistress, Dobby tried, but--”

“It’s Tuesday, Mother,” Evanna said plaintively. “I’m supposed to train with Father, but that elf didn’t com and wake me up and so now Father will be angry--”

“Darling, don’t frown like that, you’ll get wrinkles,” her mother said gently. “And we are going to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies today, remember?”

Evanna blinked. “Oh. Oh, I forgot.”

Narcissa smiled and cupped her cheek. “I know you work hard, darling, but you must learn to relax as well.”

“Father says that laziness is unbefitting one of my bloodline. That I must always be at my best and--”

“You should learn not to take your father so seriously,” Narcissa responded breezily as she made her way to the wardrobe, rustling through Evanna’s clothes.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Evanna muttered. 

Her mother paused for a brief moment. Not again. “What was that dear?”

“Draco doesn’t have to train,” Evanna stated. “I’m not even in Hogwarts yet and he knows less than half the spells I do, but Father is just awful--”

“You and Draco are very different, you know that--” her mother began.

“But how?” Evanna demanded, tired of having heard the same excuses all her life. “We are both purebloods, we are both Malfoys. The only difference is that he’ll be the heir and I won’t! Shouldn’t that make father harder on him?”

Narcissa heaved a great sigh. “Never tell your brother this, but your father believes you have a greater destiny before you. Draco will be lord of Malfoy Manor, yes, but you my dear girl, will conquer the world.”

“Are you being serious?” Evanna said. “Work in the Ministry, maybe, but why do I need to learn how to duel with the Da--”

“Here!” her mother exclaimed. “Wear this! It looks so lovely with your eyes. Now hurry and get changed--”

Evanna knew when she was beaten. Though her mother was never cruel like her father, there was still a certain steeliness to Narcissa Malfoy that showed that the woman had been a very strong Slytherin in her own right before becoming a society wife. 

“Of course, Mother,” Evanna said, taking the lavender summer robes. She fought the urge to wrinkle her nose at the chantilly lace trim and full skirt. After all, neither she nor Draco were allowed to go to Diagon Alley very often--their father did not want them associating with “plebians” and their mother was always afraid of diseases and kidnappings. (Evanna often thought that there was no one on earth who would willingly take Draco and she knew her brother thought much the same of her.)

“We’ve talked to Mr. Ollivander--he’s agreed to let us Floo directly to his store for you to get your wand,” Narcissa was saying as Evanna changed behind a screen imported from wizards in Japan. Every so often a cherry blossom would float across the scene. “Then we will fit you for your robes and the House Elves will take care of the rest.”

“You mean Father still is not allowing me to go into the alley?” Evanna said with more than a little whine to her voice. “I’m eleven years old, Mother, not two!”

Narcissa pursed her lips. “Darling, you know that we--”

“Draco was allowed to go around the alley last year, why am I any different?” Evanna continued on. “Draco doesn’t even know as many spells as I do!”

“If it were up to me, you would not know all the spells that you do,” Narcissa said, seeming to want to say more but not daring to. “There are still some who do not like our family, who would seek to do us harm through our daughter--”

“And not your son?” Evanna snapped back. “Mother, I am not some Muggle damsel in distress. If Draco gets to go around Diagon Alley freely, then I should too!”

“Evanna, darling--”

“What is taking so long?” a voice came from the hall. Evanna straightened, slipping into her flats behind the changing screen before coming out into the room just in time for her father to open the door. 

“Evanna here is wanting to go to Diagon Alley,” Narcissa said immediately. Evanna nearly cursed under her breath as her father levelled a glare at her. 

“Is that not where we are going?” 

“She’s wanting to wander the alley as she pleases.”

Evanna groaned as she saw the look in her father’s eyes. Never going to happen. 

“You will go to get your new wand and that is it. Your mother can purchase your robes,” Lucius said sternly. “And this afternoon you can prove to me why you needed that new wand in the first place instead of your aunt’s.”

“But--”

Don’t finish that.

Evanna sighed at the look in her father’s eyes and nodded. Lucius gave her one last harsh look and turned to Narcissa. 

“I must go to Knockturn Alley today with all these raids the Ministry is making,” he sneered. “I will be taking Draco with me.”

“Must you, Lucius? There are always so many unsavoury characters--”

“I did not send him to Durmstrang on your request, but the boy is coddled enough!” Lucius snapped. “Evanna, be ready by two this afternoon. We will be training with your new wand.”

“Yes, Father,” she said. But her mind was spinning with possibilities. Her mother could shop for robes all day--and Evanna would be free.


	4. Chapter 3

As planned, Evanna Flooed directly to Ollivander’s with her mother while her father took Draco to Knockturn Alley. As soon as they stepped out of the fireplace, Narcissa kissed the top of Evanna’s head. 

“I will be in Madame Malkin’s and then I must go to the Apothecary--do not leave the wand shop, understood?”’

“Yes, Mother.” Evanna replied. Narcissa nodded, an odd, excited energy around her that Evanna had rarely noticed. With a swirl of robes and a whoosh of air, Narcissa was out the door and across the street. 

“You can come out!” Evanna called, knowing from Draco’s stories that the wand-maker liked to make an entrance. “Mr. Ollivander! I haven’t much time!”

The oldest man Evanna had ever seen stepped out from the back, deftly navigating stacks of narrow boxes.

“Ah, the mysterious Miss Malfoy,” Ollivander said in a wispy voice. “I remember your parents and your brother just last year--though you look most dissimilar, much more like--”

“Sir, I apologize, but I am on a tight schedule,” Evanna informed him. He looked at her in surprise. 

So impatient. 

Evanna took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ollivander, I don’t mean to be rude. I’ve never been to Diagon Alley by myself before, and I really want to see--”

The wand-maker smiled. “Ah, yes. I presume you are smitten with that author like so many other young witches? Yes, we shall get started.”

Evanna wasn’t entirely sure what he was talking about, but nodded along as tape measures began to weave around her, recording all sorts of data. There was a strange look on Ollivander’s face as numbers floated across the room, as if he was utterly baffled by something. Evanna shifted nervously from foot to foot, unsure of what to do. 

“Is there a problem?” she finally asked. 

“Hmm?” Mr. Ollivander responded, still focused on the numbers in front of his face. “Oh no, dear, I’m just surprised, that’s all…”

Evanna frowned. “About what?”

“Your readings--they remind me of someone….. I can’t quite place it….” the old wizard hemmed and hawed. Evanna found herself looking longingly at the door, hoping she would be able to get out of there soon. 

“Sir?” Evanna prodded. 

“Ah, yes, yes, you are on a schedule!” Mr. Ollivander said with a twinkle in his eye. Soon, thin boxes were dancing around the room. One stopped in front of her and Ollivander gestured for her to take it from midair. 

“Dragon heartstring and--”

“--and walnut,” Evanna finished, somewhat surprising herself.

“You know your wand woods!” Ollivander exclaimed happily. Evanna frowned. “Go on, give it a wave.”

Evanna did so, and nothing happened. Ollivander had a certain gleam in his eye at the failure, but quickly had cycled through five more wands, each refusing to do anything in her hand. Each new wand was equally frustrating to her, ready as she was to explore before her mother came back to get her. 

“We will find one, don’t you worry--”

No clue which one to try next. Gone through the most common for--

“I’ll choose!” Evanna snapped.

“But, Miss Malfoy, the wand chooses the wizard, I must--”

“Out of my way!” she snapped. Then something strange happened. Her mind seemed to reverberate with one word as the old man stared at her wide eyed.

Riddle. Riddle. 

Evanna ignored him and without truly thinking about it, she reached out her hand and one of the boxes floating about her flew into her hand. She stepped back in surprise. 

“That one is unicorn hair, durable, and--”

“--and thirteen and a half inch yew,” Evanna finished with him. His voice had almost gone hoarse as he watched her unbox the pale wand and hold it lightly in her hand. The lights seemed to dim and a cool breeze floated through. Evanna watched in fascination as Mr. Ollivander shivered. 

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” Evanna sneered slightly, a surge of power making every inch of her body tingle in a pleasant way. Ollivander was still staring at her with trepidation. “Mr. Ollivander? Are you quite alright?”

He blinked owlishly at her, before shaking himself. “You remind me of--nothing like--I will bill your parents. Go on, get out, I’ve much work to do.”

And just like that, Evanna found herself being shoved out the door, flinching when she heard the click of the lock behind her. 

Dangerous. Like him.

Her heart thumped, wondering where on earth that thought had come from. Everything about Ollivander was strange. But, she had a wand. Her wand. And she was free to roam about the alley as she pleased, for a few hours at least. And she would not be wasting it.


	5. Chapter 4

Evanna stepped out onto the cobblestone street, breathing in deeply her newfound freedom. Her heels clicked merrily as she repressed the urge to skip down the street. The air carried scents of cooking and potions ingredients and the smoke of dozens and dozens of Floo chimneys-a not altogether pleasant scent, but Evanna didn't mind as she took in the sights. She had rarely been around this many people; as she had yet to go to Hogwarts, her mother had not allowed her to attend very many of their soirees and parties with the upper echelons of Wizarding society. The sounds the smells the sights, the were all passing by her in a haze of sensation.

...just needed some scamander...

..prices on a simple set of robes…

...Lockhart ought to maraud me...

A fierce headache began to pound behind her ears as she caught pieces of conversation from so many people, each one louder and less likely a conversation for public than she would have thought possible. She scurried through the alleys, knowing she was losing her way but not caring in her desire to get away from the ungodly noise. The alleys around her became darker and darker, and less populated, but somehow the buzz of words grew stronger and stronger.

Watch out!

She collided headlong into someone just a few inches taller than herself. The boy's clothes were dusty and his glasses were cracked, but that did little to conceal the unearthly green eyes behind him. The noise seemed to fade away as she focused on him.

Those eyes.

Finally, Evanna found her voice. "I'd say it's time to get those fixed, wouldn't you?" she said, but not maliciously. The boy's cheeks reddened.

"I-erm-the floo-"

Evanna gave a smile and fingered her new wand. "Let me," she said. "Reparo." She almost sighed at how easily the magic left her wand.

The boy's head snapped back and he took off his glasses to look at them closer. "Wow, tha-"

Evanna cut him off with a gasp as she caught sight of the lightning shaped scar as his bangs were brushed back. Not just a little zig zag, but a mass of jagged white that crisscrossed across his forehead.

Harry Potter.

The boy quickly pushed his hair back down. "Guess you know who I am, then," he said almost glumly.

"My brother has barely shut up about you all summer," she said with a smirk. "It's been quite annoying, actually."

Potter went red. "Yes, well, um-who are you? I mean-what's your name?"

Such pretty eyes.

Very much against her will, Evanna felt her own blush rise slightly under the boy-who-lived's gaze. "You can call me Evanna."

"Then you can call me Harry. And thanks again for fixing my glasses," he said, shaking her hand. "Who did you say your brother was?"

"Evanna!" a sharp voice barked. She flinched. Busted.

Lucius Malfoy was striding down the street, robes billowing dramatically behind and a face like thunder. He grabbed Evanna roughly by the shoulder. She bit down a hiss of pain, knowing that worse would be coming to her during the afternoon training session.

"What do you think you are doing here? Where is your mother?"

"Father-I-"

"Potter," her brother spat, coming up behind them. "What were you doing with my sister?"

"Your-you have a-"

Harry's green eyes were wide as he took in the scene. Evanna felt her heart sink.

A Malfoy.

"So this is the great Harry Potter," Lucius sneered. "Somehow, I am unimpressed. How is it that you come to be polluting my daughter with your half-blood filth?"

"Father, please," Evanna said softly. "We just bumped into each other. It was an accident. Please, Father, I just want to go home."

"Trust me, you are," Lucius hissed in a dangerous voice. "Run along to the bookstore, Draco. I must see your sister safely home."

The last thing Evanna saw before her father pulled her into Side-Along Apparition was Harry's eyes, full of distrust and dislike. She refused to allow herself to feel disappointed; they had had a two minute conversation, it was not as if she had been rejected by the love of her life or anything.

They slammed down on the gravel outside of Malfoy Manor's main gate. Lucius dragged her inside and up the stairs to her room, fairly throwing her through the door.

"Do you have any idea who you were fraternizing with?" he hissed.

"Well, I assume it was Harry Potter, given the glasses and the scar," she replied snarkily before she was able to stop herself. Without a moment's notice, Lucius backhanded her.

"You are the heir to a line that is purer than silver and more ancient than Merlin!" he scowled. "I have trained you, clothed you, fed you, protected you from all outside influence. You are not to throw that away on half-blood scum such as Harry Potter!"

Evanna's eyes flashed a nearly scarlet purple and her father was all but thrown out of her room as she nursed her cheek, the door slamming shut and locking.

"Stay there!" Lucius Malfoy was shouting. "Stay in there and see if I allow you to go to Hogwarts come September!"

With a bang, Evanna knew he had left to retrieve her brother and mother from Diagon Alley. It was not until later that night-after Draco had been sent to his own room and the house fell with such a deadly calm that Evanna knew Lucius had put up enchantments so as not to allow the children hear the abuse he hurled at their mother-that Evanna fully caught up to what Lucius had said before.

He had called her the heir. The younger daughter of the great Malfoy clan, and he had called her the heir.

Before she had much time to dwell on it, the true heir had poked his blond head into her room.

"Can I come in here tonight?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the big brother?" she asked teasingly. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Fine, if you want to silently stew about how Mother will look at breakfast in the morning-"

That took all the levity out of Evanna's mind. She nodded and her brother scurried over to her bed, noticing the hand-shaped bruise that had blossomed brilliantly on her face. He sighed.

"Why'd you do it, Ev?" he asked. "Running off by yourself-speaking with Potter of all people-"

"It's not as if I ran straight out of Olivander's into his arms!" she said, "I was distracted, and everything was so noisy, and we just sort of bumped into each other-it was my first time in Diagon Alley!"

"But you did leave Ollivander's purposely."

"I-well-yes," she admitted. "But it's not fair! You get to go to Knockturn Alley and all the Ministry galas and to your friends house but Father's threatening to not let me go to Hogwarts now!"

Draco's eyes widened. "Evanna, don't be over dramatic!" he scolded.

"I'm not, Draco! That's what he said!"

"Well, if that is the case, then if I were you, I'd be brushing up on my French," he said wisely. "Ou les filles de Beauxbatons appelleront toi une vache espan-"

Before Draco finished the sentence, Evanna threw a pillow at him. He smirked before returning the favor, and soon they were in an all out pillow war, laughing and squealing as though they had not a care in the world. When the children finally settled down, Evanna leaned against her big brother.

"Draco, I don't want to stay in the manor forever," she whispered.

"I won't let that happen," her brother said vehemently. "Even if I have to kick you out when I become Lord."

Evanna giggled. "Thank you, Draco."

"You're welcome, Ev."


	6. Chapter 5

The days until September 1st passed so very slowly for Evanna. Though she begged, she was not let out of the Manor and its grounds again. Her father's training took on a harsher quality, every day ending with more bruises and scrapes than Evanna could count. Every now and again, Draco would give her pitying looks, but her mother barely looked at her, caught up in her own version of hell.

The day she would finally escape, Evanna woke before the dawn and rushed into her brother's room.

"Get up, get up, get up!" she crowed in victory. Draco rolled over, covering his head with the blankets.

"Geroff me, brat," he growled.

"But today is Hogwarts and you need to get up!" she singsonged.

This time, Draco more growled than woke, shoving Evanna off the bed. She landed on the floor with an almighty thump, aggravating a bruise that she had gained by not being quick enough to duck a piece of chair after a particularly brutal reducto. Evanna frowned, fingering the wand she had not let go of since she bought it in Diagon Alley. With a smirk, she pointed it at her brother, snoring under his downy comforter.

"Aguamenti frigus!" she hissed.

A shot of freezing cold water spewed from the tip of her wand, completely drenching Draco. He shot out of bed with a sputter, shaking his head like a dog.

"EVANNA!" he shouted.

Evanna giggled, and took off through his door, running down the hallway to escape him as he tore through behind her, shouting and carrying on. She dodged his own streams of freezing water-Draco's aim was no where close to Lucius' after all-as he yelled curses after her.

"Evanna, Draco!" their mother's voice sounded sharp behind them. "Stop this at once!"

The two children came to a stop in front of their mother, both panting and one dripping wet. Narcissa frowned at them, managing to appear regal even in a dressing gown.

"Now, really, what would your father say?" she scolded. Draco and Evanna both looked down, trying to contain their lingering giggles. "You'd best be thanking Merlin that he was called away on business and not around for that little display. Now go and get ready-I will take you to the station."

Both Draco and Evanna scurried to do as they were bid. Evanna wrinkled her nose at the frothy silver robes her mother had laid out for her; unfortunately, the majority of the magic that she had been taught by her father was more useful in a battle with another wizard than with some frilly clothing. Reluctantly, she brought them behind the changing screen, scowling at her reflection after she put them on.

"Hurry up, children!" her mother called.

Evanna smoothed her skirt one last time, as though that would help with the poofiness, and walked out the door, knowing the house elves would send her trunk along to the train station. Draco walked out of his room, directly across from her own. She noted that he, too, was dressed in silvery robes, though with notably less lace. Her scowl deepened.

"What was mother thinking? We were hardly named for the Gemini constellation," she said. Draco sneered.

"You need to put on something else," he said.

"You think if I could have I wouldn't have?" Evanna replied incredulously.

"Well all of my autumn robes are packed in my trunk!"

"So are mine!"

"Draco, Evanna," Narcissa said with a smile, "you both look lovely."

The siblings groaned. There was no getting out of this twinned horror.

"Now, now, none of that," Narcissa chided, licking a thumb and pushing Draco's hair back, as though the boy hadn't already used a tub of Sleakeasy's. "You two are going to Hogwarts today!"

I'll see him again.

Evanna wasn't sure where the thought had come from, but she knew it was true. The infamous Harry Potter and his scar-the boy with the broken glasses and brilliant green eyes-he would be there. And away from her family…. Who was she kidding? Any opportunity she might have had for friendship with the boy had ended the year previous with her brother. She felt annoyed with him all over.

Her mother had grabbed them both by the wrist fairly radiating with energy that she had not had since before the ill-fated trip to Diagon Alley. Evanna braced herself for the sensation of Apparition-like a tube that was far too small for them all to be squeezed through, constricting her organs into weird shapes, squeezing all the air from her lungs-

And then they slammed into the ground and it was like a mind-crushing cacophony of sound around her. She slapped her hands to her ears, tears welling up in her eyes as she was dimly aware of falling to her knees, not that any of the bustling students or their families noticed.

...more and more crowded every year..

...cannot believe she got Prefect over me…

...broke up over the summer, so maybe I…

...where could those two idiots be…

...I was just going to bring my dog, but no…

From far away, she felt her mother clutching at her shoulders, Draco saying something worriedly. Her mother shooed him on, pulling Evanna to her feet and dragging her onto the train, closing the door to the carriage. The noise died away a little, though it left behind a splitting headache.

"Oh, dear-I had suspected, but I wasn't ever sure," Narcissa was saying, biting her lip in a nervous habit that alarmed Evanna even more than her own reaction to the train station outside. "I knew I should have told you about the possibility-but Lucius insisted I-well."

Narcissa looked down at her hands.

Why did I ever listen to him?

Evanna looked at her mother in confusion, unable to fully process her own thoughts, much less her ever-poised mother's strange behavior.

"Mother," she said, then thought better of whatever she thought she had been about to say. "Have you a Headache Relief Potion?"

"Oh, yes, of course, dear," Narcissa said, and with a wave of her wand conjured a small glass bottle. "Go ahead and drink it, but I'm afraid it may not do too much good. But-here-"

Her mother was unclipping something from around her wrist, and before Evanna quite knew it, she had a bracelet on-something that looked just as ancient and powerful as it felt. The noise around her ebbed away. She looked at her mother in surprise.

"Keep that on," Narcissa advised. "Other women in our family have had to wear it throughout the centuries-though your father had thought it gone from our line. I would suggest you perhaps stay in this carriage though; too many emotions are running high on the platform."

"But, Mother, what is it?" Evanna asked. Narcissa gave her a hard look, but before she could say anything, there was a long train whistle, indicating it was nearly eleven o'clock.

"I am sorry, dear, I should have said something sooner," she said. "You did so well in the alley I just-I will write you alright? And be sure to owl me what House you end up in, yes?"

With that, Narcissa Malfoy kissed the top of Evanna's head and Disapparated from the train, leaving the purple-eyed girl to blink in wonderment.


	7. Chapter 6

Nearly as soon as her mother left, Evanna pulled down her trunk and changed into her Hogwarts robes. There was no way she would let any of her new schoolmates see her in such frilly outfits. She was far more comfortable in black, anyhow. Perhaps she'd order herself some Young Witch magazines when she settled in, find some clothing more to her taste out of the thumb of her strict father and overbearing mother for the first time in her life…

"Oh sorry," a voice said as the compartment door busted open. The girl standing before her had flaming red hair and her face was a similar color. She looked as though she had ran all the way to the train. "We got to the platform rather late-my stupid brothers-and I thought this compartment was empty-I'll just head on, then."

"No, no, it's alright," Evanna said. "There's no one else in here. You can sit with me."

"Alright," the girl replied. "My name's Ginny."

"Evanna. How do you do?"

Ginny gave her an odd look, and Evanna realized how obnoxiously posh she must have just sounded. Her cheeks burned a little.

"I'm fine, thank you," Ginny said with a small smile as she hefted her trunk into the grate above her. "Why are you already in your robes? Are you a muggle-born?" she bluntly. Evanna jerked back in offense.

"I'll have you know, I am as Pureblooded as they come, thank you," she said, sticking her nose in the air snootily.

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend you, your highness," she said. "It's not like there's something wrong with it-my brother's friend was top of the first years last year and she's a muggleborn."

Evanna smirked. "I knew my brother was lying about that."

Ginny laughed. "Oh yeah? Who's your-"

"Oh, hello Ginevra," a dreamy sounding voice said from the compartment door. "That's a lovely diary you've got. Though I'd be careful-looks like a great hiding place for the nargles."

"Thank you Luna," Ginny said drolly, giving Evanna a sideglance. Evanna did her best not to snicker. "Come on in. Evanna, this is Luna Lovegood. Luna, this is Evanna. I crashed her compartment."

"Lovegood? As in the Quibbler?" Evanna asked, doing her best not to let her disdain show. These were the first girls her age she had met, Lucius having always insisted on training while Draco had his playdates. She would not be messing this up for anything.

Ginny shot her a measuring look.

"Yes, my father is the editor," Luna replied, all but floating to take a seat next to Ginny.

"Interesting," Evanna replied, taking in the girl's radish earrings and large orange Wellingtons. She certainly looked the type.

Luna looked at her with surprisingly sharp eyes. "You look like léitheoir aigne."

"Excuse me?" Evanna said, unsure what the other girl was talking about but unwilling to let it slide should it be an insult.

"You know, the druid women who-"

"Would any o' yeh mind if I-"

Another girl was at the compartment door, with caramel skin and big, grey eyes. She seemed a bit hesitant, but had a sort of steady confidence that Evanna had been taught to associate with magic. She was of old blood, Evanna was sure.

"Yes, come on in," Ginny said jovially. "I'm Ginny, and this is Luna and Evanna."

"Bridget," she said in an Irish brogue. "Bridget Travers."

Evanna recognized the name as belonging to the Sacred Twenty-Eight. She had been right about the girl being from old pureblood stock.

"Anyone fancy some Exploding Snap?" Ginny asked with an almost wolfish grin.

Soon the girls were laughing merrily as cards exploded in their lap and the English countryside seemed to race by the window beside them. Eventually, the other three left the compartment to go to the bathroom and change into their robes, coming back with strange rumors of Harry Potter not being on the train and a flying muggle car zooming around the Hogwarts Express. Evanna tried not to snort at the absurdity.

"Did anyone say what the car looks like?" Ginny asked, biting her lip nervously.

"What does it matter?" Evanna said. "Since when can muggles make things fly?"

Ginny seemed to blanch. "Excuse me, I need to go check on my brother's."

Before the redhead was able to leave, however, the door opened again, revealing Draco standing there, looking stricken.

Father will kill me.

"Evanna, have you been sitting here with a Weasley this entire time?" he asked.

"And if I have?" Evanna replied coolly. "Aren't they part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight? It's not as if I've been playing chess with a Mudblood."

Ginny jerked at the word, but no one said anything, feeling the tension rising between the two siblings.

"First you go palling around with Potter-"

"I ran into the boy! On accident!" she snarled.

"And now you are playing Exploding Snap with blood-traitors! There is a reason Father wouldn't let you out of the Manor!"

Evanna was ready to spit something back viciously, but then Bridget spoke up.

"Maybe you two should go somewhere else fer this conversation?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Draco flushed and jerked his head. Evanna sighed, knowing she would have to follow.

"Look," her brother said as soon as they were out in the corridor. "I just came by to check in on you. That was-well-kinda-you know, at the train station-"

Evanna felt the pit of her stomach fall out. "Mother helped me, gave me some sort of weird looking bracelet," she shrugged, feeling deeply uncomfortable. "But Draco, you can't just do that!"

"But that was a Weasley," he whined.

"Well, I didn't know! I've not exactly been out and about like you," she said bitterly. "But the last thing I need is another bloody Lucius Malfoy breathing down my neck!"

Without further ado, she marched back to the compartment she had been sitting and threw herself back inside.

"So," she said. "Does anyone know of a way to make sure you're Sorted away from your family?"


	8. Chapter 7

Malfoy Manor had been no country cottage. It was gracefully built, equal parts intimidating and beautiful in a cold way, full of history and regality.

But Hogwarts Castle far outshone it.

Evanna, with her dark hair and taciturn demeanor had always felt somewhat out of place among her family, but looking on the flying turrets of Hogwarts, she felt she had somehow only just come home. It was a strange feeling, but one she felt she would soon become accustomed to. Ginny, Luna, and Bridget were gazing with just as much wonderment as she when a mountain of a man began shouting.

"Four teh a boat!" he called over the heads of milling first years. "First years, this way! Don' wanna miss the Sortin'!"

"C'mon you lot," Ginny said, grabbing Evanna and Luna by the wrist and gesturing for Evanna to grab onto Bridget. The four girls all clambered into the boat together and it set off almost at once, sending an unsuspecting Bridget tumbling forward into Ginny.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

But, no one responded as they got a fuller view of the castle, great winged boars sitting on either side of the gates, windows shining with a merry light. Evanna ignored the others as one of their yearmates fell in the lake, prefering to study her new home. She was the first to leap out of the small boat when it landed on the rocky shore.

"This way!" called the huge man again. He lead the nervous first years into a sort of antechamber, where a strict looking woman in tartan was waiting with a scroll in her hands.

Little fools.

Evanna was startled by the thought and narrowed her eyes at the woman, who seemed to be itching to get away from the first years.

"If you all will get into a line, we will be entering the Great Hall in just a moment," the woman said with a crisp Scottish accent. The first years pressed into each other, making more of a blob than a line. "If I can have your attention!"

The chatter stopped immediately. Evanna felt rather sorry for whoever had managed to annoy this woman.

"My name is Professor McGonagall and I am the Deputy Headmistress of this school," she began. Evanna remembered Draco complaining loudly about Professor McGonagall: she was also the Head of House for Gryffindor. "When you walk through these doors, you will be Sorted into one of four great Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. I trust you will all be a credit to your House, which will be like your family during your seven years here at Hogwarts."

As soon as the woman turned her back, there was a murmuring throughout the crowd.

"I had heard Harry Potter was here, but I never saw him on the train-"

"My brother said he faced a three-headed dog last year-"

"-bet he's not all he's cracked up to be-"

"-any idea on how we get Sorted-"

"-bound to be a test of some sort to get into Ravenclaw-"

"Hmm," Luna said dreamily as she looked up at the ceiling beams. "I wonder if the caretaker knows that there is such a large infestation of wrackspurts in the Entrance Hall?"

Bridget caught Evanna's eyes and the two girls had to quickly look away from each other to keep from dissolving into giggles.

Within a few moments, Professor McGonagall was leading them into the Great Hall. Evanna looked around in amazement; the ceiling faded away above her into twinkling stars and at the front of the Hall were four giant hourglasses, full of rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and emeralds. But, in seeming contrast to all the grandeur, at the front of the hall sat a tattered old wizard's hat on a three-legged stool. And it was singing.

"They couldn't think of any better way to Sort us?" Evanna muttered to Ginny, appalled by the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. The redhaired girl snorted and tried to cover it with a cough before stretching up on her toes.

"I can't find them," she said.

"Who?"

"My brother and Harry."

Evanna looked around the Hall before her eyes landed on a clump of redhaired boys.

"Are they not related to you?" she asked bluntly.

"Well, they are, but I'm looking for Ron, the youngest of my brothers and his friend, Harry Potter."

Ginny said the last of this with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Well-"

"Shh! It's Luna's turn!" Bridget said harshly to them. Evanna watched interestedly as the blonde drifted up to the front of the hall and took a seat on the stool before McGonagall plopped the hat onto her head. It came down over her eyes, though Luna didn't seem to mind. She spent several moments there, swaying her legs nonchalantly and when the Hat finally called out "Ravenclaw!" Evanna fancied that it sounded rather exasperated.

"Malfoy, Evanna!"

"It's your turn!" Ginny whispered. "Good luck on getting out of Slytherin," she added with a wink. Earlier on the train, the girls in the compartment had all began telling stories about how for generations each of their families had stayed in one House, Bridget being the only exception.

"Me da' is a Slytherin, most o' 'is family is, with a few Ravenclaws" she had said. "But, me mum was a Hufflepuff, and all o' 'em have been for centuries."

Evanna took a deep breath, bracing herself. She knew that this moment would make or break her. Either she became a Slytherin, as was expected of her, and remained under her father's thumb forever or she broke away and became something new. Even if her father made her life miserable for it.

With shaking legs, Evanna walked forward, taking her seat on the stool. She tensed at McGonagall's somewhat questioning look, and then the Hat lowered over her eyes.

"Well, two in a row," a voice said in her ear.

"What are on about?" she snapped, nerves making her patience short.

"Never mind, it's not as if you know," it said silkily. "Sometimes what a person doesn't know is far more interesting than what they do-"

"Well I know how to do spells that would quite take care of a Hat-"

"Yes, you do-there really is only one place for me to put you, with your ancestry, your knowledge, your determina-"

"NO!"


	9. Chapter 8

Arguing with an old fashion accessory was not how Evanna had imagined her first night of Hogwarts going.

"NO!" she said. "I'm at Hogwarts-I'm away from my family for the first time-you can't just send me back to them!"

The Sorting Hat chuckled. "You truly know nothing," it said amusedly.

"I know enough to blast you off the face of the earth," she growled.

"Should I not place you in Slytherin, where would I put you? You are no Hufflepuff," it reasoned.

"Anywhere. I don't care. I just want out from my father's thumb," she replied.

"My dear, you have never been under your father's thumb," it told her. "And in Slytherin you will rise so far that Lucius Malfoy would never be able to touch you."

Evanna pictured it in her mind's eye. Making her own allies in the House of Snakes, giving and taking favors, gaining respect and power, starting out of Hogwarts with an internship and connections, climbing her way up and shedding the Malfoy name until she was standing taller than all of them.

"So, léitheoir aigne, what do you say?" the Sorting Hat rumbled. Those words again, she would have to focus on that later.

"Are you sure you can't just send me to Gryffindor?" she all but whined. The Sorting Hat chuckled.

"The only one that would be more upset about that than my maker would be SLYTHERIN!"

The last word was said aloud, to the applause of the Great Hall. Evanna smoothed her skirt primly as she stood, making her way slowly to the table at the far left side of the hall, though not without a dirty look to the Sorting Hat. Her brother clapped her on the shoulder, but leaned over to her to mutter disapprovingly.

"You were almost a hatstall. What took so long?"

Evanna looked at him coolly. "I told you-I won't be Lucius Malfoy's prisoner any longer. The Sorting Hat just had to convince that I could do that without going to Gryffindor."

Her brother choked. "Gryff-"

"Shh, Draco," she said haughtily. "There is a Sorting ceremony going on."

Like they had predicted in the compartment, Bridget was Sorted into Hufflepuff and Ginny into Gryffindor, though Evanna noted that the girl looked a little disheartened as she went to sit with the lions. The feast was delicious, though Evanna did almost find herself wishing for the long oak table at the Manor, on the nights it had just been her and her mother as her father was out of town. She wrinkled her nose as her brother's friends, Crabbe and Goyle, overstuffed their plates and mouths.

"That's really who you choose to spend your time with?" she said derisively.

"Oi, Malfoy!" someone called from down the table. Evanna turned to see a dark-skinned boy with closely shaved hair and sparkling eyes. "You never told us you had a sister."

The boy winked at her. Evanna felt her cheeks burn.

"Shove off, Zabini," Draco glowered, halfway blocking Evanna with his body. "I didn't mention her to you for good reason."

Evanna shoved her way around him, holding out a hand as though she were some great lady. Which I will be. "You may call me Evanna."

"Then you may call me Blaise, fair lady," the boy said, giving her hand a dapper kiss. Evanna all but giggled. Draco looked between the two with obvious distaste.

"You're about to make me lose my supper, Zabini," he drawled.

"Anyone hear anything about Potter and the Weasel yet?" a whiny voice said from down the table. Draco's face crumpled in disgust for a moment before smoothing to the usual aristocrat in a way that Evanna knew the voice could belong to only one person: Pansy Parkinson.

"No, but I assume that they must be with Snape-he's been gone all night," someone else said down the table.

Draco looked almost gleeful. "Then surely that means that they'll be expelled!"

Evanna felt her heart pound uncomfortably at the thought. She had been wanting to see the boy with the broken glasses again, ever since she had met him earlier that summer. But for him to be expelled before she ever even got the chance…?

"Don't be so sure, Malfoy," Blaise replied. "Dumbledore and McGonagall have left now."

Draco said something that Evanna knew their mother would have never stood for. Before their conversation was able to go any further, however, the dishes disappeared from in front of them, eliciting groans from the hulking beasts that Draco called friends. Evanna wrinkled her nose.

"First years! First years this way!" a girl with a Prefect pin on her chest was calling, waving the Slytherins her way.

"Oi, midgets, get moving or get lost in the dungeons for three days!" her male counterpart followed up.

"Classy, Warrington," the girl sneered.

"Always, Padgett."

"You better get on," Draco said. "We'll see you in the dungeons."

Evanna nodded, clambering out from the table as gracefully as possible and joining the small group of Slytherin first years-and it was small. There were only four boys in her year and three girls. Evanna knew that Purebloods generally had very few children but it was more than that-the year she had been born was when the Dark Lord was at the height of his power. As she looked across the hall, she noted that her House did not have the only small incoming class. Growing up when she did, she knew that the war had been devastating to the Wizarding World in an intellectual sense; now she truly saw it for the first time.

"Is that all of you?" Padgett said with a sort of resigned look on her face. "Let's move."

The two Prefects began leading the first years through the corridors, the atmosphere growing darker and cooler as they drew closer to the dungeons.

"How far down do you think we'll go?" a blonde girl with glasses that made her look rather owlish asked nervously.

"Why? You scared of the dark?" one of the boys snickered, a nasty look on his face. Evanna decided that she did not like him.

"Any sane person should be," she informed him coolly. "Don't you know what lives in the dark?"

The boy must have seen something in Evanna's face that made him nervous because he quickly shut up and hustled to the front of the group. She smirked at him.

"Alright, little Snakelings," Padgett said, stopping in front of a nondescript door. "Welcome to your new home."

"Mind you don't forget the password-it changes every fortnight and if you forget to check it, you're just outta luck," Warrington said nastily. The first years clustered closer to him to make sure they did not miss the password. "Avalon."

The door sprang open and the students all filed in. If looking at Hogwarts had felt like coming home, the Common Room felt like a look inside of Evanna's soul. Directly across the room was a long window that seemed to have been carved from the rock itself. As she watched, a merwoman swam past, waving at an older student and making several hand gestures in quick succession, that the student seemed to respond to. There was a low fire burning in the stone fireplace, making what could have been damp and cold inviting. The room was decorated in rich greens and burnished silver, with low, plush couches that would not have looked out of place in the home of a Roman aristocrat. Without truly meaning to, a soft smile came to Evanna's face.

"Welcome to Slytherin House, firsties," Padgett said with a grin. "You all have a lot to live up to-Merlin was one of ours after all-but the Sorting Hat must've seen something in you lo-"

"I can take it from here, Ms. Padgett," a low voice said. From the shadows emerged a man who seemed to be draped in shadows himself. His lank hair was as dark as hers, and his skin just as pale, though he seemed a little more on the sickly side. All in all, he had the appearance of an overgrown bat. "You all will refer to me as Professor Snape or sir. I shall have the overrated privilege of trying to make you each into competent potion brewers in addition to being your Head of House."

Severus Snape. Evanna had heard the name before, and knew that he ran the same soial and political circles as her father, as well as being her brother's favorite professor. However, like so many names she knew, she had never met the man in person. He was intriguing, to say the least.

"In your seven years here, you will learn to comport yourself with the utmost of dignity and uphold the Slytherin ethos of tradition, fraternity, and excellence," he said pacing the line of new students, eyes landing on each one. "This means that no disagreement with a House mate will leave this Common Room and that any just punishment you receive from another teacher I will give you double."

The same nasty boy from earlier opened his mouth and Professor Snape held up a finger, giving half a smirk.

"That also means that I will always fight for you when that punishment is unearned," he said slowly. "You shall always do your very best in your classes and seek assistance from your Prefects or myself when your efforts are insufficient. And finally, your appearance shall always reflect the long tradition of excellence that our House has held. With that in mind-Eva Blishwick."

The blonde girl jumped forward as Professor Snape read her name from a scroll. He handed her a silver and green tie, and a patch with a swirling snake on it.

"The House-elves shall see to it that all of your uniform robes have your crest and are properly lined with green," he told the room at large before speaking to her directly. "Wear it well."

Blishwick nodded and darted back to the line.

"Elias Gamp!" A boy with a smattering of freckles darted forward. "Wear it well. Elin Gamp." The girl who was obviously his twin stepped forward, almost at his hip. "Wear it well. Jaime Hughes." The nasty boy who had made fun of Eva Blishwick. "Wear it well. Teagan Leroy." A lanky brunette. "Wear it well. Evanna Malfoy."

Professor Snape had paused before he read off her name and his eyes snapped up to her own immediately.

She looks nothing like Lucius.

Evanna blinked in confusion and took a few measured steps to her new Head of House, his fathomless eyes burrowing into her very being as she took her tie and crest from his tapered fingers. She wondered absently if he had ever played piano, like her mother had taught her to do when she was young.

"Wear it well," he said slowly, seeming unable to tear his eyes from her. The longer he stared, the more uncomfortable she felt.

"Thank you, sir," she said, just to break the tension. "Is something wrong, sir?"

The professor seemed to shake himself. "Off to bed, all of you. Boys to the left, girls to the right. First years' curfew is 9:30 and all of you are to be in beds, curtains drawn at that time. My prefects will report to me if you are not."

The first years all hustled to do as they were told. Evanna felt so exhausted-and her belly so full-that she knew she would immediately fall asleep. The letter to her mother would have to wait until morning.


	10. Chapter 9

As had been bred into her after so many years training with Lucius, Evanna was the first to wake of her dormmates. She quickly set about pulling out quill and parchment before claiming a desk to be her own to write her mother.

Dear Mother,

I am in Slytherin, not that that is much of a surprise. To be honest, I would have preferred to be Sorted with at least one of the girls I sat with on the train. I'm sure Draco will be informing Father of that soon-if you could stop him from sending me a Howler? As you know, I was rather out of sorts when I got on the train.

Speaking of which, I am still waiting on your owl to explain that. I've not removed that bracelet you gave, though the thing is heavy and looks like it's from the Stone Ages. Still, I'd rather not have a repeat of the train station. I would like an explanation, though.

Professor Snape was rather odd, but that's to be expected of a man who spends day and night making potions in a dungeon. There are very few students in my year-I've only two roommates, but in my mind that is two too many.

I suppose I will see you over Winter Hols-can you please convince Father to let me come to the Yule Banquet this year? Draco got to go last and he snuck down two years before that.

Your loving daughter,

Evanna

By the time Evanna was signing the letter with a flourish, her roommates were stirring.

"Merlin, what are you already doing awake?" Elin Gamp groaned, her hair in complete disarray.

"What are you wearing?" Eva demanded. "You look like you're in an Austen novel?"

"Austen novel?" Evanna replied, smoothing her nightgown self-conciously.

"Never mind," the other girl sighed. "It's just awfully old-fashioned."

"Excuse me for not looking like a vagrant while asleep," Evanna said haughtily, looking the ratty plaid sleep pajamas and Weird Sisters t-shirt the other girl was wearing. Eva and Elin were both silent for a moment before Eva burst out into raucous laughter.

"Oh, we're in for a fun seven years!"

Breakfast in the Great Hall was quite interesting, as evidently Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter had not been expelled, however much the former may have found it preferable to the awful Howler he had received. Evanna was still chuckling when the sixth Prefect passed her and her yearmates their timetables.

"Oh great, Potions with the Gryffindors," said Hughes with a bit of a snarl. Evanna rolled her eyes.

"Our first lesson hasn't even commence and you are already succumbing to the stereotype, Hughes?" she said.

"Why don't you quit with the airs, Malfoy, and get that broomstick out of-"

"Oi!" Draco had slid into the seat beside her. "That's my sister and she's worth ten of you, you little hobgoblin," he sneered before turning to Evanna. "I'm sending a letter home, do you need anything?"

"Yes, to fight my own battles," she said, but passed him the letter to their mother all the same.

"A slight against you is a slight against the name of Malfoy," her brother said pompously and Evanna understood the remark about the broomstick.

"And we all know that the name of Malfoy can't stand any insults," she replied sarcastically. "You know I know more Dark spells than anyone in this castle-let me handle myself."

Draco's face darkened at the reminder of the training she had received that he had been excluded from growing up.

No better than I am!

"Fine," he said angrily, leaving the table and stalking off toward his own class. "Mind you don't get caught associating with Weasley again."

Evanna watched her brother go somewhat thunderstruck before turning back to the table. Elin was leaning over towards her.

"Why were you so mean to him?" she demanded.

"I am not some damsel-in-distress," she said, nose in the air. "I could easily wipe the floor with Draco in a duel-there's no need for him to act like I'm helpless."

"But he's so-" Eva began, slumping onto her hand and watching Draco's retreating back, "-dreamy."

Evanna gave her a disgusted look. "Don't make me lose my breakfast, Blishwick," she said, lips curled. "Now come along-we don't want to be late for Potions. Something tells me that Professor Snape would not be appreciative."

The first years made their way back into the dungeons, Evanna leading the pack as was her prerogative as both a Malfoy and an already highly-trained witch. When they arrived, Evanna immediately sought out Ginny, but slumped when she noticed that a Gryffindor boy with sandy hair was already sitting next to the girl. Instead, Evanna took the seat directly in front of them, and was joined quickly by Eva. The Gamp twins sat across the way from them.

"Your mother lose her voice often?" Evanna said to Ginny with a friendly smirk. Ginny shrugged noncommittally, seemingly to shrink away from the other girl. Evanna frowned in confusion, opening her mouth to say more, but at that moment, the classroom door banged shut and Professor Snape strode through in a whirl of black robes and a foreboding look.

"There will be no silly wand-waving in my class," he intoned, making half the class jump and stash away their wand. And that was just the beginning of a speech that Evanna-having been trained in combat magic since she was five-found rather melodramatic for a discipline that was closer to cooking than true magic.

When Professor Snape called roll, he again paused at Evanna's name and gave her a long, studying look. She fought the urge to shift under his gaze, trying her best to employ every bit of good breeding her mother had impressed into her.

So much like her mother.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" she said.

"Guilty concious, Ms. Malfoy?" he said, a faint sneer to his lips. Evanna blinked.

"Of course not, sir," she said. He snorted softly and moved on.

"What have you done to get under our Head of House's skin already?" Eva whispered. Evanna shrugged. "Is your brother that terrible of a student?"

"He's always claiming that he's the teacher's pet in here," Evanna whispered back. "So I've no idea. Shh, he's looking over this way!"

The two first years sat up straighter, quills poised over parchment, ready to begin taking notes as Snape finished his role call. And take notes they did, Evanna's hand cramping by the time that they were released to begin on making a simple Boil-Cure Potion that Narcissa had taught her and Draco years before (Lucius had often been rather disdainful towards the subject in general, though Narcissa seemed to enjoy it as often as she went to the Apothecary). There was no time left for chitchatting, but Evanna did not mind when she and Eva received a nod of approval from her Professor. Several of the Gryffindors were not so lucky.

"I see you bring the same level of incompetence to this subject as most of your Housemates, Mr. MacDougal," Professor Snape said nastily. "Evanesco."

The Gryffindors fairly ran out of the classroom when the bell rang, though Evanna lingered behind, even after her Housemates had left.

"What is it, Ms. Malfoy?" Professor Snape fairly snapped as she stepped up to his desk. "It would not do for you to be late to a class on your first day."

"I was just concerned, sir," she said. "I hope my brother has not done something to give you a poor opinion of me-"

"He has not," the professor replied. "How old are you, Ms. Malfoy?"

Evanna blinked at the sudden inquiry. "I-I am almost eleven, sir. My father pushed for me to attend Hogwarts a little early. My birthday is on Halloween."

The frown reappeared on Professor Snape's face. It was a moment before he spoke again. "Why would your father want you out of the manor a year early?"

Evanna hesitated, unsure of what to say. "I assume he thought I was ready. I'm rather grateful that he did-thus far Hogwarts seems far easier than the training I'm used to."

The professor's eyes snapped up, seeming to search for something.

If he has hurt her…

"No offense, sir," Evanna added hurriedly. The professor waved her off.

"Go on to class, Ms. Malfoy," he said. "And let me know if the other professors give you any trouble."

Evanna nodded, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. "Thank you, sir."

Professor Snape nodded absently, seeming to be lost in thought. Evanna left the classroom rather lost in thought herself, weaving her way through students starting to filter through the dungeons. She should have been expecting it, really, when she crashed into someone, sending both students to the stone floors.


	11. Chapter 10

Evanna groaned, rubbing her rump as she stood. She quickly stopped the motion as soon as she realized who was standing in front of her, though she nearly didn't recognize him without the fine layer of soot.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, excited to see the boy again. He blinked at the use of his first name, green eyes focusing almost immediately on the crest on her robes.

Slytherin.

"Oh-er-hi, Malfoy," he said in a rather toneless voice. Evanna frowned.

"It's good to see you again," she said, employing her best manners almost as a defense. "Are your glasses holding up well?"

"Harry, c'mon, we're about to be late and you know Professor Snape-oh, erm-Harry?" a frizzy-haired girl came around the corner, glancing between Evanna and Harry pointedly. "Isn't that Malfoy's little sister?"

"There's another Malfoy git?" a redhaired boy said following behind her-obviously Ronald Weasley, Ginny's missing brother from the night before.

Evanna stiffened at the obvious disdain in the tone. Despite her issues with her family, she had always been told that the Malfoys were almost like royalty to the Wizarding World. Yet, here this girl was (who, by the looks of it, did not own a hairbrush) sneering down at her.

"My name is Evanna, thank you for asking," she said primly. "Harry and I met over the summer in Diagon Alley, isn't that right?"

Harry's face was rather pink as the girl's eyebrows shot up. "Er-we bumped into each other-it's not as if I knew who she was-quit giving me that look Hermione!"

Evanna's mind went through several things at once. Firstly, that Harry was refusing to look her in the eyes or use her first name. Secondly, he had yet to acknowledge her polite inquiry as to how her spellwork had held up on his glasses. Thirdly, that his friends obviously hated her and he would not be standing up for the girl who had helped him over the summer. And finally, that Hermione was a name she had heard all too frequently since her brother had started Hogwarts. With all that in mind, she turned to the frizzy haired girl still trying to tug Harry away from her.

"Oh, now I know you," she said to the girl. "You must be that know-it-all little muggle-born my brother is always on about. You know, he really didn't do justice to the state of muggle dental care."

The girl's eyes widened in hurt, and the Weasley yanked out his wand.

"Oi, you take that back, you spiteful bint-"

"Put your wand away before you take someone's eye out," she scowled. "I've been dueling since I could speak sentences."

"But you're only a first year-" the girl said.

"Who was raised by one of the great Wizarding families of Britain-more than you can say, isn't it?"

"Quit talking to my friends like that!" Harry-no, Potter-said, green eyes flashing agrily.

"Some friends," Evanna snorted. "Next time, I won't bother helping you, Potter."

Evanna marched off, head held high, though she could not for the life of her figure out why she felt as hurt as she did. She had met the boy only once, barely had a five-minute conversation with him and cast a quick reparo on his glasses. It was really nothing more than her showing off with her new wand.

"Some people just have no manners," she mumbled to herself.

The rest of her first week at Hogwarts went much the same for Evanna. Her housemates found her to be old-fashioned, those outside of the House saw her through the lens of her brother's already growing reputation. Both Ginny and Bridget, who she thought would be good friends on the train, ignored her in favor of their own Houses. Only Luna seemed willing to still speak with her, though Evanna suspected that Luna would speak to anyone so long as they were willing to hear about nargles and Snorkacks for hours on end. And though Evanna was lonely, she wasn't quite that lonely.

Though she had checked and made sure that Draco had sent her letter to her mother, there had been no response. Once Evanna had taken off her bracelet in the Common Room, just to see what would happen, only to immediately shove it back on as noise worse than the train station seemed to hammer its way inside of her brain. She had thought of going to the library and researching what was going on herself, but she hardly knew where to even begin.

Evanna found herself taking to wandering the corridors until curfew, and sometimes a bit later, just to alleviate her boredom. The homework for first years was more tedious than challenge, not that Evanna would have found anything interesting about a stupid Levitation Charm anyways. Finally, Saturday came, and Evanna could not have been happier to escape the tedium of her classes.

She was the first to wake, as her roommates had figured out was her custom. For the first time in a week she would be able to wear something other than school robes, not that she found the pastel robes her mother always chose for her all that appealing. Evanna frowned as she took in the contents of her wardrobe, removing one of the less lacy outfits.

"Good Merlin, that's worse than your nightgowns," Eva said, coming up behind her. "Don't you have any denim? Or t-shirts?"

Evana scowled. The other girl made at least one comment a day about Evanna's proper clothing or fastidious manners.

"The way you're always on about how I dress and act makes me wonder if you're Pureblood at all!" Evanna exclaimed, all but hiding her dayrobes behind her back. Eva took half a step back.

I'm not.

"Well, you make me wonder if you were even born in this century!" Eva shot back, obviously a bit nervous. Evanna narrowed her eyes, a suspicion forming in the back of her mind-both about Eva and about herself.

"You're not, are you?" Evanna said, taking a step toward the other girl. "You're just pretending to be. How you made it into Slytherin-"

"Slytherin isn't just for Purebloods!" Eva snapped. "Take a look at our Head of House-he's a half-blood!"

Evanna blinked. That was a bit of information she would have to file away for further inspection, but at the moment she was just ready to make sure the other girl stopped making fun of her.

"You've been ridiculing me all week, but you're what? A mudblood pretending?"

The other girl looked ready to breath fire, but at that moment, Elin stepped in between them. "Calm down, Malfoy, Blishwick," the girl said. "If you'd been paying attention to your yearmates instead of gallivanting around the castle all week, you'd know that Eva is more a halfblood than anything else-her parents are Squibs."

Evanna felt herself deflate, looking at her roommate with new eyes. "Oh. I'm so sorry," she said. It was a great tragedy in Wizarding circles to give birth to a Squib, though it had been becoming more common as the great Pureblood families dwindled.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Eva snapped, still looking angry. "So what if my parents can't do magic? I can-and I'll be great at it!"

Elin rolled her eyes. "I said to calm down. Maybe instead of making snippy comments at her, you can just ask her?"

Elin seemed to give Eva a significant look. Eva pouted, crossing her arms, but Elin kept staring her down. "Oh, alright. I really like fashioned and I've learned a few charms from Witch's Weekly and I know you can't actually like all that Easter egg nonsense and canIpleasegiveyouamakeover?"

Evanna shook her head as though dislodging cotton from her ears. "Excuse me?"

Elin sighed. "She wants to test out some clothing charms and cosmetic spells but her father has forbidden her from doing it to herself and I personally like my clothes the way they are."

"Who says I don't like my clothes?"

"You're hiding those ghastly pale green things behind your back."

Evanna nodded. "Alright, fine. Just don't touch my nightgowns-I do like those."

Eva squealed and rushed to her nightstand to pull out her wand and a copy of Witch's Weekly: Autumn Style Edition. She flipped open to a page full of charms that could be applied to update a witch's wardrobe.

"Oooh-look at that one-it would look so cute on you!" Eva said, pointing to an outfit consisting of some very low-slung trousers, a tight animal print tank top and a red-leather robe to go over it all. Evanna grimaced at the ensemble.

"I don't think she's ready for that one yet, Blishwick," Elin said dryly. "How about that?"

She was pointing to something that was a cross between a skirt and a set of muggle coveralls overtop of a turtleneck short sleeved top, a simple black capelet around the shoulders. Evanna knew her mother would find the skirt to be too short, the top too tight, but it was the least scandalous outfit on the page-some of the tops were barely more than underwear, not that Evanna was even old enough to need that kind of underwear yet…

Eva was giving her a hopeful look. Evanna bit her lip, but nodded. Both Eva and Elin squealed, foisting Evanna into the outfit she had first pulled from her wardrobe before both began shooting different spells at her. At one point, Evanna was fairly certain that it was her face that was purple and plaid, but her roommates had quickly turned her away from the mirror and begun shooting several more spells at her.

"Now, what can we do with her hair? It's just so long…"

Evanna yelped, covering her hair with her hands. The long black curls were a source of pride for her, even if they made her stick out like a sore thumb amongst her family.

"Don't touch my hair!"

In the end, the girls simply put her hair into two plaits down her back, fixing the bottom of each with two large snake-shaped clips. Then, they turned Evanna to the mirror.

She had to admit, she had never felt more… herself. Sure, it was a little odd, the skirt ending above her knee but the knee high black socks helped her feel a little more confident and she was at least wearing a cape if not full robes. And the clips in her hair were quite fun-not too mention there was a bit of lace or pastel in sight.

"Thank you," Evanna breathed in amazement. Her two roommates high-fived one another before scurrying to put on their own weekend clothes for the day. When the three of them left the dorm, they linked arms and sang the Hogwarts fight song all the way down to breakfast until a grumpy seventh year warned them to shut up. Evanna felt herself unable to stop smiling. Maybe, just maybe, Hogwarts would not be so bad.

At least not until she heard the murderous voices in the walls.


	12. Chapter 11

The three girls did not head back to the Slytherin Common Room until late that night-decidedly not making it to bed by Professor Snape's curfew. The girls ran through the corridors, giggling and shushing each other in equal measure, when Evanna heard it.

"Come...come to me…"

"Did you hear that?" Evanna demanded sharply.

"Hear what?" Eva replied.

Evanna held up a finger demandingly as she heard the voice again.

"Let me rip you…"

"It's past curfew, we'd best be getting-Evanna!" Elin cried after her as Evanna took off down the hallway in the direction opposite of the Slytherin Common Room as she followed the voice.

"Let me tear you...Let me kill you…"

"There's someone in the castle," Evanna said, running, hoping to find a professor, a prefect, somebody…

The other two girls ran after her, calling her name as she rounded the corner, but this time did not go crashing into Harry. One look at him and she knew.

"You heard it too?" she demanded. He nodded, pale as a ghost. She opened her mouth again, but a voice cut her off.

"I thought you were done luring other students into antics last year, Potter," Professor Snape drawled. Evanna nearly groaned out loud, but good breeding would not allow her to do something so common.

"I had detention, sir, I was just getting out and I heard-" he trailed off.

"Something you shall get very used to Potter. Ten points from Gryffindor. Get to the Tower before I take more."

The older boy immediately did as Snape told him, bouncing off to Gryffindor Tower. The professor then rounded on the three Slytherins.

"You think I wouldn't be informed of an entire dorm missing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you are going to break the rules, do not be so Gryffindor."

Eva looked down at the floor. "Sorry, sir, we-erm-got lost on our way back and then Malfoy heard… something."

The professor's eyebrows crept up his forehead. Evanna fought the urge to sigh at her Housemate's lame excuse.

"Undoubtedly, you will eventually learn to tell a proper lie, but you will not endeavor to tell those lies to me," the Potions Master replied. "To your dorm, all of you."

Eva and Elin scampered off, eager to not tempt the Professor into taking points or giving detention, but Evanna hung back for a moment.

"I know for a fact, Ms. Malfoy, that your parents would not approve of you gallivanting the halls dressed like that, nor with such company as Harry Potter."

Evanna shook her head. "Eva wasn't lying, sir, not completely. I did hear something and that's how we ran into Ha-Potter."

He rose an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue. She bit her lip, unsure that she should have said so much. What if he thought her crazy? But, if there was some sort of murderous loon on the loose, a professor needed to know.

"There was a voice, sir," she said trepidatiously.

"A voice?" he said skeptically.

"I'm not crazy!"

"I did not say you were," he replied. "What did this voice say?"

"It… it said," she gulped, icy fear washing over her as she remembered the words. She had been too caught up in the adrenaline of the moment before, but now she was able to fully realize what it was saying and she had run after it. "It said it wanted to kill."

If possible, Snape went paler.

"I believe it is best I escort you back to the Common Room, Ms. Malfoy," he said carefully. Evanna looked up at her professor fearfully.

"Do you think I'm mad?" she demanded. "Hearing voices in my head?"

"I believe, Ms. Malfoy, that Hogwarts has often proven itself to be less than safe, despite our Headmaster's insistence that there is no safer place," he replied. "You do not strike me as particularly unhinged, Ms. Malfoy, so if you say there was someone speaking murder… I would feel better knowing all my Snakes are in the Common Room. Slytherin has not been breached for nigh on seven hundred years."

Evanna nodded, following behind her professor in thoughtful silence until they reached the Common Room and he shoved her in. Almost immediately, she was accosted by her brother.

"What have you been doing? It's past curfew and you're looking halfway like a muggle and those two girls in your year came in babbling something about you and Potter. If Father hears you are associating with him-"

"And how will Father hear that I'm associating with him? Are you going to tattle tale on me?" she sneered.

"You know Father had asked me to keep an eye on you-"

"And you know Father keeps me like a glorified prisoner!" she snapped, rather louder than she meant to, causing half the Common Room to stare at the two siblings. Evanna felt blood rise to her cheeks as she stared at them all in horror. Draco pulled her over to a study nook.

"Propriety, Evanna," he hissed, reminding her of their old nurse house-elf. "I'm just looking out for you-"

"No," she replied, realization dawning on her. "You're like Father. You're just looking out for the family name."

"Evanna-"

"I'm going to bed," she said simply. "It's past curfew."

With that, she simply turned on her heel and left, ignoring her Housemates as they tried to watch her leave.


	13. Chapter 12

Evanna's roommates quickly grew used to her posh attitudes, while Evanna quickly took to their up-to-date fashions. She quickly figured out the spells to transform one's outfits into something like that week's Witch's Weekly and if she couldn't figure it out, then she used her allowance to place owl orders. Soon, her wardrobe was close to overflowing, but there was luckily two extra in the room that was meant to house a greater number of students.

She, luckily, did not hear any more murderous voices, though she unfortunately had not received a letter back from her mother yet. Her father, however, had sent a missive. Seeing her father's austere handwriting instead of her mother's elegant scrawl, Evanna had quickly dismissed herself from the breakfast table.

"Pardon me," she said to Elin. "I've a letter-I'm going to go read this before Potions begins-"

"Why not read it here?" Eva said, swallowing her sausage quickly. Evanna crinkled her nose, not really sure of how to explain her reluctance to read something from her father around others and not really sure if she wanted to anyway.

"Oh, leave off it," Elin said. "She's allowed some privacy."

Evanna nodded gratefully and took off down the corridor until she came to an out of the way alcove and settled in, heart thumping uncomfortably as though she was facing down one of her father's nastier training sessions.

Evanna,

Draco tells me you were Sorted into Slytherin and I must commend you on that. However, I have also heard some disturbing reports about who you have chosen to befriend-I hope that as you settle into the school you learn to be a little more discerning with your acquaintanceships. Do not make me regret not having you be tutored in the Manor.

I have made certain plans for Hogwarts this school year. I hope for your sake that you are keeping apprised of goings-on. You are well-trained and intelligent-you may be of some use as you come into your powers. Keep your eyes open and you will do well, Evanna.

Your mother has not been feeling well, and is thus unable to answer your letter. You may direct any inquiries to me.

Sincerely,

Your Father

Evanna cursed soundly under her breath, using some new words she had learned from Eva, as she stashed the letter into her bag.

"Oh, dear," a dreamy voice said beside her. Evanna jumped, having thought that she was alone in the little alcove, but Luna Lovegood had come to sit with her. "Have you been bitten?"

"Excuse me?" Evanna demanded, offended. Was the Ravenclaw asking if she was a werewolf or something?

"Well, this corridor is positively teeming with nargles, and now you are frowning and cursing," the blonde explained as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Evanna blinked. She had now known the other girl for three weeks, and was still getting used to the flights of fancy she seemed to be prone to. Yet, Evanna couldn't help but enjoy her presence. Though she had learned to get along with her roommates, Luna had been the first and only person at Hogwarts to always treat her kindly.

"Oh-er-I don't think so," she said. "I just received a letter from my father. He's saying that my mother is unable to return letters right now, but I had a question for her that I really wanted answered."

"Oh," Luna said. "What about? Ravenclaws are quite good at answering questions, you know."

Evanna smiled. "I'm not sure you would know the answer, unless you're some sort of medi-witch."

Luna frowned, looking at the floor. Evanna followed her gaze. "Hmm, unfortunately, I am not-"

"Where are your shoes?" Evanna asked, blinking in surprise at her friend's stocking covered feet. For the first time since Evanna had met her, Luna seemed to lose that ethereal air about her, her face becoming a sort of blotchy pink.

"Well-I'm sure they just found it a laugh-there's no real harm in it-I like walking barefoot any way," the other girl mumbled. Evanna frowned, feeling anger stirring inside her.

My Housemates don't like me.

"Did your Housemates steal your shoes, Luna?" she asked.

"It was just a joke-"

"Do you know who specifically?"

"Really, Evanna it's not-"

At that moment, students began pouring from the Great Hall and Evanna cursed, knowing she wouldn't get the information from Luna now. Instead, she quickly pulled her magazine out of her bag and flipped to a page where she had giggled at a pair of bright turquoise Mary-Janes, but she couldn't imagine any other shoes suiting Luna Lovegood nearly as well. Narrowing her eyes, Evanna carefully did the incantation that the magazine suggested and performed the wand movements at Luna's feet.

"Stitching is a little wonky," Evanna sighed. That was her constant mistake. "But, those should get you through the day-oof."

Evanna was not expecting it when the other girl launched herself into a tight hug. Evanna sat frozen; the Malfoys were hardly openly affectionate, especially in public.

"Thank you! I can't believe all the other Ravenclaws say you Slytherins are mean-you've been the nicest person to me all year," Luna said. Evanna blinked. 'Nice' was also not an adjective used to describe Malfoys.

"Do me a favor, Luna," she said slowly.

"Whatever you need!"

"Don't tell your Housemates that," she said. "In fact, tell them that I am as mean as they come."

Luna blinked. "Well alright, but-"

"I've got to go, I've Potions first thing," Evanna said, quickly losing herself in the crowds of students. She would have to figure out who had stolen her friend's shoes some other way.

Evanna marched right up to Ginny Weasley as soon as she reached the Potions classroom, walking as though she owned the school. The Weasley girl jerked in surprise as Evanna plopped into the seat beside her just as Colin Creevey was pulling it out for himself.

"Why, thank you, Creevey," Evanna said with a sneer. "Now, move along. I believe some of your kind are on the other side of the room."

Creevey looked mildly terrified as he scurried off to the rest of the Gryffindors. Weasley was fuming.

"What did you do that for? He's my friend!"

"I thought I was, too, on the train," Evanna said, carefully pulling out her potions kit and setting out the ingredients she would need for the day.

"Well-you said that you-but now you're-and what do mean, some of Colin's kind?"

Weasley had a look of righteous indignation on her face. Evanna blinked.

"Don't you think he's more comfortable over there with the half bloods and muggle borns?" Evanna asked, pitching her voice low.

"No, I don't! I think he was perfectly fine sitting by me and it's no bloody wonder that you ended up in Sly-"

"Look, I didn't sit here to argue about Creevey," Evanna said dismissively. "Someone has been stealing Luna's things. I assume you're still friends with her?"

Weasley's face darkened. "Stealing her things-but why? How?"

Evanna quickly described what had gone down in front of the Great Hall. Weasley was fuming as well by the end of it, and Evanna knew she had succeeded in her mission. But, it was then that Professor Snape swept into the room, the door slamming behind him, causing all the Gryffindors to immediately silence their conversations and sit up while the Slytherins smirked at the effect their Head of House had on the brave lions.

As the professor called role, his eyes narrowed ever so briefly at Evanna's new choice of seat before he waved his wand at the blackboard and instructions appeared.

"Begin," he intoned. There was a rush for ingredients and cauldrons that hid any voices for a moment."

"Whatever you're planning to do to them," Weasley said. "I'm in."

Evanna grinned. "Firstly, we need to figure out who the scoundrels are."

"Scoundrels?"

Professor Snape prowled past them then and the girls were quiet for the rest of the period. The professor held Evanna back at the end of class.

"Interesting seat mate you chose today, Ms. Malfoy," he said nonchalantly. Evanna narrowed her eyes. Had her Head of House been making reports to her father? "Ms. Weasley is not quite the potioneer I'd expect you would want to partner with."

"Well, I like a challenge," Evanna replied loftily.

"Hmm," Professor Snape responded. "And what happened over the weekend, that was not challenging enough?"

Evanna's heart thumped a little harder. "What happened over the weekend was-was-just stress of starting a new school, I'm sure. Have you heard anything about my mother?"

The professor blinked eyes going wide before they quickly shuttered.

What does she know?

"Your mother?" he said slowly.

"Yes, my mother," Evanna replied. "Only she was supposed to write me after dropping me off at the train station-there was an incident-but only Father has written me since I arrived and he's saying that she's not feeling well."

Her Head of House looked troubled. "I've not heard anything of Mrs. Malfoy being ill, certainly not ill enough to-" he cleared his throat. "I am sure your father is perhaps being a little overzealous. It is time for your Herbology lesson, is it not?"

Evanna bit her lip, looking at the open door. The hallway looked empty. "My father usually allows the House Elves to take care of my mother-even when she had dragon pox. I've not heard from her in a week and-and I'm a bit worried, sir."

Something seemed to go a little soft in Professor Snape's eyes, something that was a rare occurrence, Evanna was sure. "I am unsure-"

"Could you check in on her?" Evanna said before she lost her nerve. "Please?"

The professor seemed to swallow. "Yes-I of course. Now get on to class."


	14. Chapter 13

At lunch, Evanna deliberately slid into the seat beside her brother before Parkinson was able to.

"Thank you for saving me a seat, Parkinson," she said.

"I was going to sit there!" the other girl whined.

"And you're so gracious as to allow me to speak with my brother," Evanna replied coolly, doing her best impression of her mother. "Now, if we could speak privately for a moment, I am sure you'll be understanding."

Parkinson made a noise and flounced off. Draco turned to Evanna.

"You know, Parkinson is not exactly the sharpest quill in the pot, but she's still not a pleasant enemy," he said dryly.

"I'd be more worried about making an enemy of myself, brother dear," Evanna all but cooed.

Draco scooped some green beans on his plate, carefully keeping them from touching his lamb chops. "I have no idea what you are talking about, sister dear."

Evanna narrowed her eyes, choosing the direct approach. After all, her brother was a rubbish liar-she would certainly be able to tell if he tried.

"Did you or did you not owl Father about who I was spending time with?"

Draco looked at her out the side of his eye. "You know that our father is a powerful man who you shouldn't ever make angry, correct?"

"Draco-" Evanna warned.

"Ev," Draco said. "You are my baby sister. I've told you before that I will always have your back."

I won't let you be trapped in the manor forever.

"But, Father has eyes in this school. Whether you or I owl him, he knows what his children are up to at Hogwarts."

Evanna frowned. She had not quite got the answer she had wanted, but she would accept. She had another question she wanted to ask before afternoon classes.

"So have you received any owls from home?"

"I did the day after the Sorting," he said. "But not since. Why?"

"Father says Mother is ill-I wondered if he had told you?" she said as nonchalantly as she could. Draco's fork paused for a moment on the way to his mouth, before he smoothly took a bite of his green beans and chewed it slowly. He looked at her.

They are fighting.

"No, I had not heard," he said. "Did he say what was wrong?"

Evanna shook her head. "No, but I asked Professor Snape to check in on her, bring our love and whatnot."

This time, Draco dropped his fork. It took him a moment to recover. "You did what?" he hissed in a low voice. Evanna frowned.

"The professor is Father's friend, yes?" she said. "I figured he ought to be able-"

"Evanna, you can't do that. It-it's-"

Dangerous.

"Not the done thing!" he sputtered lamely.

"Excuse me for caring about our mother," Evanna said tartly.

"If Mother is sick," he said in a low voice, "then it is a family matter. Father won't appreciate anyone poking their big noses in."

Evanna knew what her brother was saying made sense, but she would never admit it. Still, she felt better knowing that someone was checking on her mother.

"Fine then," she said. "I've got Transfiguration."

She climbed out of the bench, deliberately smacking Draco in the face with her robes and left for the lesson. As usual, she sat next to Luna, who again thanked her for the shoes. Evanna's stomach clenched with the thought of what those other Ravenclaws were doing, as if any of those questionable low-borns were as good as Lovegood…

"Here," Luna said cheerfully as they were packing up. "I owled Daddy and he sent this to me. I thought you would find it interesting-it's all about the léitheoir aigne."

Evanna frowned as the girl handed her a tome-it was bound in worn purple cloth with silver markings. The title looked to be in runes of some sort-they looked vaguely familiar to Evanna, though that was unsurprising. The Malfoy family library held vast amounts of all kinds of books, tomes, and scrolls, including some that Evanna knew spanned millennia.

"Thank you," Evanna said somewhat trepidatiously. Luna just beamed at her as they filed into the corridor.

"C'mon, Evanna," Elin was calling for her. "It's at least a ten minute walk to the greenhouses and Turpin said that Peeves set up some dungbombs on our usual way."

Evanna quickly said goodbye to Luna and scurried to catch up to her Housemates. "Are we sure it was Peeves and not those Weasley twins?"

"Does it matter? These are new robes!" Eva replied.

"What did Lovegood give you?" Elin asked.

"Some old book," Evanna replied. "I'm sure it'll tell me all about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and the like, but she wanted to thank me for making her shoes."

"You made her shoes?"

"Don't we need to get to class?"

The girls made took the long route out of the castle, making it to the greenhouses just in time. Several of their Hufflepuff classmates were still trickling in themselves, though . Evanna was only mildly surprised when Bridget Travers slid into the seat beside her.

"Ginny told me what was going on," she said. "I had thought that Lovegood was just trying to better sense the Blibbering Humdingers or something."

"The what?" Evanna replied.

"Never mind," Travers waved her off. "Any way, the people you are looking are a couple of fourth year girls-Tulip Karasu and Eliza McLaird. They are Ravenclaws, so I would be careful. They know their way around a wand."

"How did you come by this information?" Evanna all but demanded. Travers smirked in a way that made Evanna wish she had been Sorted into Slytherin.

"Hufflepuffs can find most anything, you know," she said then seemed to pause. "And I'm sorry. You seem a rather decent sort."

At that, the other girl moved away to some of her other friends and Evanna found herself rather surprised by the interaction. She filed it away for inspection at a later date. Evanna didn't speak much during the lesson, mind whirling with thoughts about her mother and her new friend, as well as what she would write back to her father. At one point in time, the groundskeeper came in to talk to Professor Sprout, warning her to ward the greenhouses as something had been killing his roosters.

"Ugh, I can't wait until we no longer have to take that class," Eva said as they left. "I hate dirt under my fingernails."

"Maybe it would help if you remembered your dragonskin gloves?" Evanna said wryly.

"I am not taking clothing advice from someone who dresses like my grandma," Eva replied, sticking her nose up in the air. Evanna bumped her hip as they made their way to the Common Room and the dorms, intending on cleaning themselves up before dinner. As they walked in, however, a silky voice came behind them.

"Ms. Malfoy, a word," Professor Snape said, emerging from the shadows. Her two dorm-mates gave her worried glances then scampered off.

The older years had warned them all that the Potions Master was just about as far away from a hands-off Head of House as one could get. Though he turned a blind eye to a few quidditch after-parties, and typically allowed them to learn whatever kinds of magic they wanted to in the Common Room, Professor Snape made sure his Snakes were of sound mind and body, always the picture of decorum. That meant he made frequent visits to the Common Room, met with his students regularly, made sure they adhered to curfew and on and on. Though, the beginning of term must have been wearing, for this was the first time Evanna had noticed the man in the Common Room.

"Have you checked on my mother already, sir?" she said, somewhat surprised. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

"Your mother is not ill," he said slowly.

"Then what is wrong with her?"

Her husband.

Evanna blinked as the thought seemed to wash over her with the strength of it. Though she knew very well that her father had never treated her mother very well, she also knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the thought had not come from within her.

"She had an-" Snape's lip curled, "accident. She has been recovering at St. Mungo's."

Evanna's heart thumped painfully in her chest. "But why didn't-is she going to be-sir, please, can I floo her?"

"For now your father is limiting visitors and he does not wish to worry you or Draco." There was still a sneer planted on her professor's face. I would kill him if I could.

Evanna chewed her lip, an uncomfortable feeling settling in her stomach. "Sir…" she began slowly. "Was it… was it really just an accident?"

The professor looked at her with those fathomless black eyes and Evanna thought, just for a moment, that the man seemed to soften.

"Of course," he replied, "what else could it have been?"


	15. Chapter 14

The days quickly faded from September to October. Evanna finally received a short letter from her mother, congratulating her on being Sorted and making polite inquiries about her health and new friends. She did not, however, mention anything of having been ill or explain Evanna’s incident at the train station. Evanna was so frustrated that she had flung the bracelet her mother had given her across the room, only to have Draco support her out of the Great Hall to retrieve it. 

“Merlin, Evanna,” Draco said. “You’ve never gotten sick, now you’ve collapsed twice in as many months!”

Evanna gritted her teeth as the noise seemed to reverberate inside her brain. It was worse than last time--she was shaking and she could barely speak on their way to the Common Room. She heard footsteps behind her and an overwhelming sense of panic growing. 

She’s collapsing--she’s been hurt--

“Mr Malfoy, where are you taking Ms. Malfoy? She looks like she ought to be going to the Hospital Wing,” a deep voice was saying behind the siblings. Evanna groaned at the pain behind her temples.

“She said to take her to the Common Room, sir--”

Foolish idiot girl--

“She does not look in a state to make that kind of decision,” the voice was closer now, and Evanna felt herself being lifted into a pair of strong arms, the scent of sage and rosemary filling her nostrils. She fought against the waves of concern and anxiety and guilt like a thing possessed. 

“This happened at the train platform, sir,” Draco said. “And Mother gave her this bracelet--I think it had some sort of charm, sir--”

“Well, where is it, boy?” the voice snapped. 

“I think in her dorm, that’s why I was taking her down--”

“Go get it and meet me in the infirmary.”

“No!” 

The thought of going to the infirmary cut through Evanna’s mind. If she went to the infirmary, a letter would be sent home and then her father would know and would question her mother who would possibly decide never to tell Evanna what was going on in her own mind and she could not would not let that happen. 

“Dorm--please--”

“Ms. Malfoy--”

“DORM!” Evanna gasped out. 

The further they got from the Great Hall, the more the pain and noise in Evanna’s mind lessened, though the anxiety and guilt did not. She slowly became aware that she was being carried through the castle like a baby doll, though it was not until they reached the blank slab of wall that was the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room that it fully sank in who it was carrying her. Her cheeks burned red at the realization that it was her Head of House. 

“Let me down, sir, I can walk,” she insisted. The professor did as he was bid, though she nearly toppled Draco over. 

“I would not advise lying at this time or any other time, Ms. Malfoy,” the professor said in a dangerous voice. “Now, where is this bracelet? Is it warded against Summoning?”

“Dorm room--I don’t think so,” Evanna said, leaning heavily against her brother as he pulled her to one of the low couches in front of the fireplace. The Professor watched them carefully even as he nodded and pulled out his wand. 

“Accio bracelet!” he called. Within a few moments, the bracelet was zooming out and the Professor put it on her wrist. Immediately, she stopped shaking as the noise left her head, though she still felt the shadow of guilt and anxiety. Professor Snape stared at the bracelet curiously. 

“Answer me honestly, Ms. Malfoy,” he said, “have you been hearing voices making death threats around the castle again?”

Evanna shook her head. “No, sir.”

Draco gave her an incredulous look, but it seemed that her professor’s presence was enough to stop him from asking. 

“May I?” the professor gestured at the bracelet. Evanna nodded and the man took her wrist and studied it.

She herself had never looked too closely to it, simply noting that it looked incredibly old and somewhat clunkier than what she typically thought of as her mother’s style. She had assumed it to be some sort of precious metal, but looking at it closer, it seemed that was instead petrified wood. Carved into it were a series of knots and in the center there were two snakes entangled so tightly that one could not be sure where one began and the other ended. At the ends of the bracelet--more of a bangle, really--were two flattened circles with a cross dividing it into even circles.

“It looks like Celtic protection charms--there is a symbol for inner strength, the wuivre,” her professor pointed at the snakes, “are for a warrior’s protection and the solar cross represents equilibrium. And your mother didn’t say anything about it to you?” He looked up at her, black eyes meeting violet.

Nor to me.

“No, sir,” she said, wincing a little. Her head still throbbed slightly. 

“Sir, she’s pale as a ghost,” her brother interjected. “Don’t you think she ought to lie down?”

“Yes, she should. I shall inform your morning teachers that you will not be present today. I will send a house-elf with your lunch--you are to inform me if you are still feeling unwell,” he said sternly. Evanna nodded. Truthfully, she found herself rather unsettled by the thought of being around people at the moment, so the admonishment was a welcome one. Besides, the next day was her birthday and she wished to be well-rested in order to put to good use whatever gifts she was to be given. 

She should have known better. Somehow, having taken off the bracelet once seemed to lessen whatever powers it had over her headaches, for the next day it seemed to come in waves. Draco had frowned at her throughout the day, as she hadn’t bothered to open her presents, nor had she ate at lunch and had barely touched her breakfast. By the time the Halloween feast arrived, spots were flying across her vision. 

“You’re not acting yourself, Ev,” Draco had said, placing a slice of beef wellington on her plate. The dish was usually her favorite, but tonight it simply turned her stomach. “Did you take off your bracelet again?”

“No, I’m not stupid,” she snapped harshly. The pain behind her temples really was building and she had no patience for her brother’s coddling. The smells of the feast were starting to get to her too. “I’m going to bed.”

She got up and left the table. Her headache lessened some as she left the Great Hall, and seemed to fade more as she got further away and into the dungeons. 

“Bite…. Maim… kill….”

Evanna jerked around, the voice sending chills down her spine. She began walking faster, but the voice seemed to be going in the same direction that she was. 

“So hungry… kill… hungry…”

She was running now, holding her hands over her ears as she sprinted through the corridors, praying that whatever it was would not thing her prey, that she would get to the Slytherin Common Room in time. 

“I smell blood…. I SMELL BLOOD!”

Evanna ran into someone, both of them falling backwards into a pile. Evann sat up, clutching the back of her head where it had hit the stone. She felt a little blood, and the thought set her heart pounding. 

She can hear it too.

Harry Potter was looking at her with those wide green eyes, but Evanna had no time for that. They had to get out of the corridor before anything bad happened. 

“C’mon, you idiot!” she cried, standing up unsteadily before reaching out a hand for Potter. His hand was warm. “We don’t want it to get us!”

They ran down the corridor, hand in hand, rounding the corner only to be splashing in a puddle of water. Evanna fought the urge to wrinkle her nose in disgust, but that was before Potter came to a full stop, staring aghast at the wall. Foot-high letters had been painted there in something that looked suspiciously like blood. Even worse--there was a cat hanging by its tail, completely frozen. 

“The Chamber of Secrets has been opened,” Potter murmured. “Enemies of the heir, beware.”

Evanna’s headache was back in full force. She turned, noticing the halls slowly filling with more students. Her brother was at the front of the line. His eyes narrowed when he saw her, still holding hands with Potter. She jumped back from him. He seemed to be confused, hurt even, at the gesture until he turned to see the growing crowds. She noticed his friends, Weasley and Granger, pushing their ways toward him. 

“Enemies of the heir, beware,” her brother read off the wall. He sneered at Granger. “That means you’re next, Mudbloods.”

“Get out of my way, excuse me--outta--”

A scream rent the air and an older Ravenclaw student fell to her knees in the center of the crowd, tears pouring down her face. 

“My cat!” she howled. “Someone killed my cat!”

It was Eliza McLaird, the one who stole Luna’s shoes.


	16. Chapter 15

A hand had Evanna by the arm almost as soon as the professors had convinced the students to follow their prefects back to their dormitories. She looked up to see her Head of House positively fuming above her.

Insipid little fool…

“Come with me,” he ordered, clipping each word. “Now.”

Even if he had not been holding her so tightly, Evanna would have known better than to disregard his orders. She halfway trotted after him, his long strides being almost too much for her short frame. He all but threw her inside his office. She stumbled a little over the rough cobblestone. 

“What have you done?” he demanded. 

“Sir, I--”

“You leave the feast early only to be found clinging onto Potter like a limpet with bloody words painted above your head and a Petrified cat on the wall. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your scheming to help Lovegood--I know that was one of her tormentors,” he scowled. “Tell me the truth--what have you done?”

“Nothing!” Evanna all but squeaked. “Fine--I was going to plant some dung bomb’s in the half-blood’s bed, but I wouldn’t--that cat--the voice--”

Evanna looked at her hands. Funny. They were trembling. She had never been a shaky sort of person before Hogwarts. Why was she now?

“I swear, if this is some sort of scheme your father has pulled you into--”

There was a rush of noise and feelings that Evanna had no hope of sorting through at those words, but she latched herself onto one, like an anchor in the storm. 

Not her father….

“Sir, what do you know of my father?” she demanded. “You’re just a school teacher and he is the most powerful lord in magical Britain.”

Professor Snape’s eyes snapped to hers. She felt that same odd sensation that she had when she had first met the man--like he was studying every facet of her face, looking for something in her. His eyes were so black and fathomless, she could almost catch a glimpse of her reflection in them. Her curly black hair, so unlike the straight blondes of her father and brother--even different from her mother’s. The hooded eyes in stark contrast to her family’s delicate features. Vivid purple, so far from the steely grey. The only similarity was her pale, pale skin. 

I wish I could know anything about your father. 

Trembling. She was still trembling. She felt like she was on the precipice of something that would turn her whole world upside down. She had never truly felt at home in Malfoy Manor, not the way one ought to in their ancestral home, the way she had felt when she walked into Hogwarts nearly two months before. 

She wouldn’t face it. Not today. Not without her mother. 

Evanna forced herself to stand up straight, like her mother had taught her to do with books and whatnot teetering on her head. She wrapped herself in every bit of Pureblood propriety that she had learned like it was armor. But she could not stop her trembling, so she held her hands so tightly that she thought they might bruise. 

“I know your father to be a dangerous man with as many plots as he has galleons, Ms. Malfoy,” the professor said slowly, tearing his eyes away from hers. “What I need to know is if he has endangered you or other school children?”

Evanna was shaking her head. “Father doesn’t share plans with Draco or I. We’re just children. We obey him.”

Professor Snape was shaking his head, looking quite out of sorts. “What were you doing with Potter, then?”

“We ran into each other--he’s been hearing the same voice, I think,” she said simply. “Please, sir, I’m tired. I just want to go to bed.”

The professor gave her another long look. “You may,” he said after a moment. “Straight to the Common Room, no detours.”

“Yes, sir,” she said. 

She walked out of the office with her head spinning. She didn’t understand what was going on with her, the murderous voice she kept hearing in the walls, the noise that was like incessant buzzing in the back of her brain, the looks Professor Snape kept giving her, her mother’s lack of meaningful communication, why she kept ending up in the arms of Harry Potter. Hogwarts was nothing like she expected; she almost wished for the simpler days where all she had to worry about was angering her father to the point that he pushed her far more than she could handle in training. A couple bruises, perhaps a broken bone--that sounded like bliss in comparison. 

It seemed no one had gone to bed by the time Evanna arrived back in the Common Room. The noise in her head had returned with a vengeance and she did her best to sneak around the edges of the room to get to her dorm. One of the older Slytherins--Adrian Pucey, she thought--seemed to be holding court in the center of the room.

“We all know what it means--their ancestors were the ones who forced ours into hiding! Ours, who flew past the bounds of humanity to be like gods--”

“Evanna!” Draco hissed, reaching out and grabbing her wrist.

“--all of them who hate us--including Dumbledore--will pay! All we have tried to do--”

“Let me go, Draco,” Evanna said, feeling utterly drained. She winced at the growing headache.

“What the hell were you doing with Potter?” he hissed. 

“--protect and defend our legacy! We are wizards--and witches--”

“We just ran into each other. I’m going to bed,” Evanna said irritably. But Draco didn’t let go.

“Evanna, you can’t just go around with blood traitors and mudblood lovers!” he hissed, narrowing his eyes. “And especially not Harry bloody Potter!”

“--and we ought to take back what is rightfully ours! The Dark Lord had it right--”

“Who says I can’t?” Evanna hissed back. “You couldn’t control me even if you tried.”

“You are a Malfoy! You have to act like one.”

“--the mudbloods and the blood traitors don’t respect our traditions, our legacy. It’s time we got rid of them!”

There was a rumble going through the crowd. The headache was fierce as it was when Evanna didn’t have the bracelet, but conflicting emotions of fear and anger and excitement and anxiety would not let simply collapse as she had in the past. She held onto her bracelet with one hand. Something like a small explosion went off in her chest. 

“Maybe I’m not!” she shouted. “Maybe I don’t want to be a Malfoy!”

The Common Room seemed to have shifted focus from Pucey to the Malfoys in a flash. 

Is she cracked?

Never thought she looked quite like a Malfoy...

Quite taken with Potter…

Professor Snape seems to take an interest in her…

Always thought she was completely bonkers...

She was standing there…

Could she be the heir of Slytherin?

Panic was welling up in Evanna, making hard to breath. She clapped her hands over her ears as the noise swelled in her head. She just barely noticed Draco’s expression shifting from anger to concern as he darted forward to catch her as she swayed on her feet. She saw her roommates fighting the crowd on the other side of the Common Room.

“What is the meaning of this?” a familiar voice sounded at the entrance of the Common Room.

“Sir, we were just discussing the Chamber of Se--”

“Do not finish that sentence, Mr. Pucey,” Snape hissed. “The last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a girl died. Given that the Chamber is a distinctly Slytherin legend, it would not do to make the other Houses anymore suspicious of us when no Slytherin has done any wrong doing in this.”

The way Professor Snape said it implied that he would be killing anyone who brought more suspicioun towards Slytherin House himself. 

“All of you, to bed now. I won’t stand for any more gossiping about the Chamber of Secrets,” Professor Snape sneered. Within moments, the crowd began to recede and Evanna’s headache began to ebb away. She forced herself out of Draco’s grasp, still a bit unsteady on his feet.

“Evanna, are you okay?” Eva asked worriedly.

“You’ve been looking sick the past two days,” Elin asked. 

“I’m fine,” Evanna lied, refusing to look at her brother. “Just tired is all.”

Her roommates fussed over her as they climbed the stairs to their dorm room, Evanna patently ignoring the angry looks Draco kept giving her. She was sure to get a nasty letter from their father in the morning, but she found herself not caring in the slightest. All she wanted was to sleep for a long, long time.


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Child abuse (magical)

“Ah, Ms. Malfoy, nice of you to join us,” Professor Snape said dryly as Evanna slunk into the back of the classroom the next morning. 

“Sorry, Professor,” she mumbled. “I wasn’t feeling well.”

His eyes flashed in concern. “Very well--if you’re not in infirmary then you may as well take a seat.”

She looked at her dorm mates, who looked rather apologetic that she had been so late to class. But, they had seen her the night before and likely had decided she needed the sleep. She gave them a brief smile that had Eva perking up and Elin returning it with a face-splitting grin. The only seat left was the one next to Ginny Weasley and the redhaired girl looked about as bad as Evanna felt, pale and withdrawn with bags under her eyes. 

Can’t remember… can’t remember anything. Hope Tom knows…

Evanna blinked. She didn’t know anyone named Tom. Why would she care what Tom knows? And her memory had always been very good…

Most of their classmates had already begun brewing. It looked like a simple hiccoughing potion. She glanced down the ingredients list before making a decision. 

“Do you know where Tom is?”

The effect was instantaneous. Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin, splashing in far too much essence of comfrey that Evanna knew would cause some rather odorous fumes later, if not poisonous. 

“I’m sorry,” she said somewhat breathlessly.

“I said, do you know where the thyme is?” Evanna asked innocently, even as her heart leapt to her throat. Ginny relaxed visibly.

“Here, I’ve some left,” she said, shoving the herb to Evanna’s side of the table. But she barely paid any mind to it. Had she heard Ginny’s thoughts? Was that what was happening to her? 

Obviously, Ginny knew this ‘Tom’, whoever he was, and Evanna did not. (It also seemed that the other girl was trying to keep ‘Tom’ a secret, a fact Evanna may have found more interesting if she hadn’t more pressing matters.) She had been looking straight at Ginny when she had that thought--had it come from her? And the noise surrounding her that caused her so much pain--was that the result of the thoughts of nearly a thousand students and staff pressing in on her? Was that why she had been kept so isolated throughout her childhood?

No, she remembered, what her mother had said was going on with her, her father had never believed. He had kept her separated from the world at large to train her, nothing more. Yet, he had not done the same for Draco, his heir apparent, had he? No, he had just done it for her, as if she was the literal black sheep of the family, all dark hair and hooded eyes and sharp cheekbones, nothing, really like a Malfoy…

Madness. Madness had run in the Black line she knew. It ran in too many Pureblood families these days. Everything that was going on in her head was complete madness. 

The period ended and she was only halfway finished with her potion. Her classmates left in a hurry, always eager to leave the dungeons. 

“Ms. Malfoy, if you think you can get away with being late to my class and then not completing your work, you are sorely mistaken,” Professor Snape said, standing over her cauldron with his arms crossed. 

“Sir, do you speak with my mother often?” she asked. 

What kind of question--?

“I do my best to keep open lines of communication with all my students’ parents, which I would be rather worried about if I were--”

“Could you please give her a message?” she asked, interrupting the man, something most would not dare to do. But Evanna was desperate. “Tell her that what happened on the train is getting worse. Tell her I need her to let me know what is going on. Tell her--tell her I’m afraid I’m going mad.”

Evanna finished with a whisper looking in fear at him. 

I can’t refuse her.

“Alright,” he said slowly. “I will do my best to pass along your message.”

Evanna wasn’t sure what made her do it. Stress, maybe. Longing for some sort of human connection. Or maybe it was just that she knew, however much he may deny it, that he would give the comfort that her real father would never, and perhaps could never, give her. She reached up and wrapped her skinny arms around Professor Snape’s waist, pressing her nose into his waistcoat and breathing in the herb scent. The Professor froze completely before patting her shoulder twice and then pushing her away. 

“Get on to your next class,” he said. “I doubt your next teacher will be as lenient.”

The week passed slowly, everyone whispering constantly about the Chamber of Secrets. History of Magic actually deviated from the normal dry lectures about the Goblin Wars for a moment to explain the legend (and that it was not history). Though she still avoided the Great Hall, random students between classes would ask Evanna if she knew anything, what she had been doing there with Potter, but she brushed them all off. Potter seemed to be trying to catch her eye in the corridors, but Evanna did her best to ignore him, a growing pit in her stomach every day that an owl had not come. 

Evanna did not receive any message from her mother, but she had expected that. What was surprising, however, was the fact that she had not received any letters from her father letting her know how much of a disappointment she was of a Malfoy. By Wednesday, she was questioning whether Draco had indeed informed their father of her misdeeds. By Thursday, she as breathing a little easier. By Friday, she was hopefully optimistic. And by Saturday, she was actually contemplating seeing whatever it was that Potter was trying to catch her attention for. She had forgotten, however, that it was the first Quidditch game of the season. Draco’s first quidditch game. 

Evanna was spending a quiet morning in the Common Room, reading her Charms text by the window into the Black Lake, when someone quite tall began blocking her light. 

“Come,” a voice said. 

Evanna looked up. A man, tall and elegant, hair tied back with a velvet ribbon and a face like thunder. Her heart rose to her throat and she knew that her worst training sessions would not hold a candle to whatever Lucius Malfoy had in mind now. She briefly debated placing a permanent Sticking Charm on herself so that he could not do anything--after all, there were several seventh years milling about in the Common Room…

“I suggest you do not try my patience,” Lucius hissed. 

Evanna climbed out of the window seat and Lucius quickly scanned her. She winced. She was wearing one of the outfits she and her roommates spelled out of Witch’s Weekly--some black denim trousers with strategically placed rips, a Weird Sister tank top with a thick striped cardigan to keep her warm in the cool dungeons. All in all, about the furthest away one could get from dressing like a proper Pureblood heiress. Lucius’ look darkened even further as he placed a hand on her shoulder rather more tightly than truly necessary as he guided her out. 

Lucius pushed her roughly into an empty classroom, where only catching herself on a dusty table stopped her from falling to the stone floor. She heard him locking the door with a charm and then putting up wards so that they could not be heard. She felt of her pocket, realizing that she had left her wand in her dorm room that day. Dread filled her. Being unarmed would likely have the opposite effect of her father going easy on her. 

“Your brother tells me that you have not been keeping wise company while here,” he said in a low voice. “Sitting with a Weasley, playing dress up with a half-blood, holding hands with Potter. On top of that, shouting and carrying on in front of the entire Common Room. I am most disappointed, Evanna.”

“I am sorry, Father,” she said. He gave a chuckle that was utterly humorless. 

“Yes, well,” he said darkly and suddenly his wand was out of his cane and a fiery purple streak was racing toward her. She only just dived out of the way, the spell burning something fierce where it had grazed her hip. “Where is your wand?”

Evanna mumbled. Lucius sent another curse toward her that she ducked out of the way of. 

“Diction, Evanna.”

“I don’t have it with me.”

“Then shall we hope that you remember how to dodge?” Lucius said with a ferocious smile. 

And suddenly spells were flying and Evanna was dodging. A slicing spell caught her shoulder. Her wrist cracked as she dove to the floor to avoid a spurt of fiendfyre. The leg of a chair hit her head after an Expulso Curse. And on and on, Evanna becoming more out of breath, sweatier, more bruised, bloodier with each passing moment in the empty classroom. And then, a new spell. One that she had read about, but that Lucius had never included in her training sessions. 

“Crucio!”

Pain. Pain ripped through every inch of her. Her muscles were tearing, screaming, her bones splintering into tiny pieces inside her. From far away, she heard terrible shrieks and sobs and it was only when the spell lifted that she realized that it was her shrieks and sobs she was hearing. Tremors ripped through her, worse than anything after her headaches. She looked up at her father through her hair. He was blurry through the tears that still clouded her vision. 

“Get. Up.”

Slowly, Evanna pushed herself upright, tears still pouring down her face. She had to support herself on the table as she stood--she thought maybe she had twisted her ankle. As soon as she was upright, Lucius flew across the room, grasping her face sharply, steel eeyes burning with fury. He twisted her face upwards to make sure she could not look away.

Should’ve told Narcissa to throw her out.

Evanna whimpered.

“Listen well, girl,” he hissed. He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. “I have worked too hard to make you into a warrior for you to ruin by gallivanting around with those lessor beings. Do you understand me?”

Evanna gulped. “Yes, Father.”

Her voice sounded hoarse. Weak. 

“See to it, then,” he sneered, then stood up straight, ever the aristocrat. He shoved Evanna away harshly, making her cry out as she hit her bad wrist. “And do try to help the Heir, would you?”

With that, her father left, leaving Evanna crying and shaking. She needed to be healed, but the infirmary was so far away and there would be too many questions in the Commo Room. Where could she go then? 

Without truly deciding where to go, evanna limped to the door, leaning against the wall and clutching her wrist to her chest. Before too long, she was standing in front of Professor Snape’s door arguing wirh herself. It was a Saturday, so there was a large chance that he could be out, relaxing or socialing. Evanna suppressed a snort at the image of the professor having a pint at the pub with Professor Flitwick. But, surely, his office would be warded so he would know if one of his Snakes needed him? Evanna’s decision was made for her when the man in question opened the door and stood there, looking down on her in surprise.

“Ms. Malfoy,” he said slowly, eyes tracking over her body, taking in the limbs she was favoring, the rips on her shirt, the bruises, her tremors, the tear-streaked face. She felt anger wash over her like a wave.

“I think I need some help, sir,” she said softly, still quite hoarse. 

“I would think so,” he sneered, opening the office door still further and ushering her inside.


	18. Quidditch

“Perhaps you ought to Floo through to the infirmary,” the professor said. Something roiled in Evanna’s gut at that. 

“Please, no, sir,” she said. “Nothing is terribly wrong--surely you know some healing spells?”

He gave her a considering look. “Sit down before you pass out on my floor. I should not like to fill out that paperwork.”

Evanna did as she was bid, tremors still sweeping her every few minutes. Professor Snape frowned and set to work, healing her wrist and ankle, handing her a tub of bruise salve to apply. 

“Are you cold?”

“Huh?”

“You’re trembling, Ms. Malfoy,” he said slowly, as though speaking to a very slow child. “Are you cold?”

“N--”

Before she could get out her answer, he had conjured a blanket to drape itself around her shoulders and pressed a steaming cup of tea into her hands. Hot liquid sloshed on her fingers, but she didn’t mind. It felt nice, being taken care of. She took a shaky sip of the tea as Professor Snape went around to the other side of his desk.

“Tell me, Ms. Malfoy,” he said. “Were you duelling with another student?”

Evanna looked down into her cup. “I didn’t have my wand on me,” was all she said. 

“That was not my question,” he said sharply. “Was it another student who caused your injuries?”

Anger--or was it fear?--rose in her. “All due respect, sir, that is really none of your business.”

His dark eyes flashed. “You are a student in my House. It is absolutely my business.”

“What happens with my family is none of your business!” Evanna snapped back.

“So your brother put you in this state?” Professor Snape said. “Funny, never would have thought Draco to be able to as such in only his second year. Nevertheless, I shall have to inform your parents if he’s performing dark curses on his sister--”

He was reaching for the Floo powder. Evanna jumped up, spilling her tea and throwing off the blanket to stop him.

“No! No, it wasn’t--it wasn’t Draco!” she said, standing on tiptoes to clutch at his robe sleeve. 

I’ll kill him.

“Please, sir, I was just training. It’s a dangerous world, sir, and I have to be ready for it. I am to represent an ancient and noble house and we have enemies and I have to be able--”

“Training, is it?” Professor Snape sneered. “When you admitted yourself that your wand is in your dorm room?”

Evanna’s heart thumped. 

“What all did Lucius do to you?” he scowled. 

“He--he--just dodged some spells--normally not--don’t do anything, please!” she begged. The tremors had gotten worse and she had started crying again, all but collapsing against her professor. He put an arm around her and guided her back to the chair. 

“Those tremors are caused by more than dodging spells,” he said softly. Evanna shook her head.

“I--I’ve still been having headaches.” Well, it wasn’t a lie, was it?

“Foolish child,” he murmured. “Can’t you see I’m trying to help you?”

“I don’t need help,” she said stubbornly. “Except--have you heard from my mother?”

Professor Snape sighed heavily and rose up, going back to his desk. 

“Your mother was supposed to come to the quidditch game today, but she owled me at the last moment to say she could not make it,” he frowned heavily at the thought. “But, she gave me a spell to strengthen your bracelet if you are amenable.” 

Evanna nodded emphatically. “Yes, please,” she said. “I do want to go to the quidditch game, you know.”

“Yes, children your age typically do,” he said in a long suffering voice that made Evanna have to suppress the urge to giggle. He took out his wand and began touching it to her bracelet. 

“Léitheoir aigne… léitheoir aigne…. léitheoir aigne…” he murmured over and over. Her bracelet warmed and the noise that had been lingering in the back of her head faded. For the first time in a week, her head did not hurt in the least bit. She almost sagged in relief. 

“Thank you, sir,” she said. “Did my mother say anything else?” 

“Only that she would see you over the winter holiday,” Professor Snape said. “Now, how are you feeling? Are you still shaking? Any lingering pain?”

“No, sir,” she said. “I’ll see you at the Quidditch game, sir?”

“Yes, yes,” he said dismissively. “Go on, then.”

Evanna gave him a quick smile and flew out the door and up the stairs, excited to finally eat lunch in the Great Hall again after a week of avoiding the crowds of people. Not a single bit of noise wormed its way into her head. She sat down next to her dorm-mates. 

“You’re back, finally!” Elin said, scooting down the bench to make room. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Eva said bluntly. “You look like you’ve been bulldozed.”

“Like I’ve been what?” Evanna asked blankly.

“Bulldo--never mind. But you’re really pale--well, paler than usual.”

“Shut up, Eva,” Elin said. “You know she’s been sick since--well you know!”

The girls were silent for a moment while Evanna fixed her plate and took a bite.

“How is your brother?” Elin asked. “First match against Gryffindor--and I hear Potter’s no slouch. Youngest Seeker in a century.”

A surge of anger went through Evanna. Her brother… her brother had caused what had happened that afternoon, opening his fat mouth to their father about things he simply didn’t understand… 

“I don’t want to talk about my brother,” she said darkly.

“Uh-oh,” said Eva. “What’s he done now?”

“He just keeps running his mouth to our father,” Evanna said. “You know, I really didn’t get out of the Manor much as a child. This is the first time I’ve really--well--really been around people my age.”

“Never would have guessed it,” Eva said dryly. Elin elbowed her. Evanna just laughed. 

“C’mon,” said Elin. “We need to get down to the Quidditch pitch if we’ve any chance of getting good seats.”

The three girls walked down to the Quidditch Pitch together and took seats near the front of the stands. The two teams were in the air, warming up and leading cheers among the gathering students. Draco flew over to them, making sure to swerve out of the way just in time like the showoff he was. Evanna rolled her eyes.

“You here to wish your brother good luck on his first quidditch game?” he said with a cocky grin. “We’re going to cream Potter.”

“They’re here to prevent me from hexing you off your broom,” she said, gesturing to her friends. “I think I’d rather enjoy seeing Potter beat you, the mood I’m in.”

Draco actually had the audacity to look hurt, but was unable to say anything due to the captain calling his teammates over. Eva and Elin leaned in to ask her something, but then someone else flew over.

“Malfoy! I’ve been trying to talk to you!”

Evanna looked up to see Harry Potter, his green eyes glinting in the sun and the wind tousling his already messy hair. 

“Potter,” she said coolly as Eva and Elin exchanged glances behind her back.

“Look, I know that I’ve been kind of rude--”

“Kind of?” 

He gave her an awkward look, rubbing the back of his neck. “--but there’s something going on this year, that bigger than that, and you seem to know about it too--”

The hairs on the back of Evanna’s neck stood up. She turned to see her father glaring down his nose at her. What little color had returned to her face quickly left it as she turned back to Potter. He looked at her in concern.

“Are you alright, Malfoy? Only you look awfully pale and shaky--”

“Who says I want you trying to look after me?” she sneered, pitching her voice so that it would carry. “You’re just an upstart little half-blood with a savior complex. I’ve better things to do with my time!”

A flash of hurt came across Harry’s face. “Well, fine. See if I care, Malfoy.”

Evanna marginally relaxed as he flew away, turning to look at her father’s face. He had turned away to watch the game, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. She turned back to see that Madam Hooch had called the teams down to go over the rules of the match. Draco caught her eye and tried to wave, and she promptly turned away from him, catching Potter’s eye. He gave her a nasty glare and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. In another world, he might have been her first friend. As it stood, it seemed they would forever be enemies.


	19. Chapter 18

The school woke to horrible news the next morning. A first year Gryffindor--Colin Creevey, Ginny Weasley’s normal Potions partner--had been Petrified. Evanna heard some of the boys in her year plotting to get a glimpse of him in the Hospital Wing, but all she could think of was poor Ginny Weasley and how pale the girl had been looking since the incident with the cat.

With that thought in mind, Evanna dressed early, not even bothering to Transfigure her clothes like she normally did, and rushed to the Great Hall, hoping to see Ginny. Already, she saw Bridget Travers and Luna Lovegood sitting at the Gryffindor table by the redheaded girl. Steeling herself, Evanna went and joined them. Luna waved happily at her, and Travers gave her a nod. But, she could feel the eyes of the other Gryffindors at the table heavy on her back.

“Weasley,” she said as she took a seat next to the girl. She had lost any color she once had--even her freckles were deathly pale. “I heard about what happened. I’m sorry--I know he was a friend.”

Evanna felt an overwhelming sense of guilt, but it was muted somehow. Whatever Professor Snape had done to her bracelet had worked, apparently.

“Thank you--”

“Oi, what d’yeh think yeh’re doin’ over ‘ere?” a voice with an Irish lilt said behind her. 

“That’s Malfoy’s little sister!” someone said beside him. 

Evanna turned to see several second and third year boys marching towards her, wands out. 

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked. 

“What’s a filthy little snake doing at our table?” one of them said. 

“Tryin’ to Petrify another one o’ our first years, are yeh?”

Evanna wasn’t sure who fired the first spell, other than it had to be a third year, because suddenly her wand was flying through the air as the boys surrounded her and cut her off from her friends. She heard the other girls shouting over them, but they weren’t allowed towards her. 

“Let me go! My father will hear about this!” Evanna said, struggling to find a way out of the circle. A stinging hex hit her in the same wrist as she had sprained the day before and she hissed. The shouting and spell-flinging grew and grew until she heard one voice above the cacophony that she desperately wanted to hear. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Professor Snape roared. The boys scattered and Evanna immediately snatched up her wand from the ground. “Four Gryffindor boys on one first year girl? Despicable--Detention for a week, all of you! And fifty points from Gryffindor!”

One of the boys swore, and Snape rounded on him. “Each, Mr. Finnegan! And be thanking your lucky stars that I am not your Head of House or you would be out on your ears!”

Professor Snape grabbed Evanna and steered her away.

“Are you quite alright, Ms. Malfoy?” he asked lowly.

“Yes, I--”

“I can’t believe them!” her brother interrupted, rushing over from the entrance to the Great Hall. “That scum--how dare they attack you?”

“Oh, now you care if I take a few hexes?” Evanna sneered and flounced away, leaving both her brother and Head of House alone. She stopped in an alcove just outside of the Great Hall as everything that had happened over the past few days came crashing down over her. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt her lungs constrict, barely able to take in a deep breath. Tears blurred her vision. She had been tortured. She had been cornered and attacked. She had just turned eleven, she shouldn’t be dealing with this. 

Eventually, she became aware of someone in front of her, holding her hand and speaking in a soft, low voice. 

“Breath, Malfoy, breath, that’s it,” a boy with unruly hair was saying in front of her. As soon as Evanna recognized the boy, she jumped away. 

“Potter,” she said. All of her problems stemmed back to Potter, didn’t it? “What, what are you--”

“You were having a panic attack,” he said, almost defensively. “Used to have them when I was little--I was worried you’d pass out and crack your head open. Any way, I’m hungry.”

He turned to walk away and Evanna bit her lip before making a very impulsive decision.

“Potter, wait!”

He turned back toward her. “What?”

“Thank you,” she said. “And I’m… I’m sorry for what I said yesterday--I just--”

He looked at her worriedly. “Your father… he’s not a very nice man, is he?”

Evanna snorted. That was putting it mildly. 

“Well, I’m pretty sure I flattened your brother and your House yesterday, even with a bludger after me,” he said with a wry grin. “We’ll just call it even, yeah?”

Before Evanna could say anything else, Potter left, disappearing into the Great Hall. She slumped against the wall, feeling utterly drained, no matter that it was barely past nine in the morning. She sat up as she heard footsteps coming towards her. 

“What the hell?” her brother shouted. “You’ve been ignoring me since yesterday and then you go off on me in front of Snape? What’s wrong with you--I’m your brother!”

“A fact which you seem to have quite forgotten,” Evanna said snidely, standing from her seat, despite the wobbly feeling in her limbs, and starting her way down the hall to the library. Draco chased after her. 

“I’ve just been doing my best to look out for you, Ev--keep you out of trouble, with the right people. You don’t have much experience--”

“Oh, who’s fault is that?” Evanna sneered, trying to walk faster to dodge her brother. 

“I know, I know, but I’m just trying to teach you how to be a proper Malfoy in pub--”

Evanna whirled around, wand digging into her brother’s chest. “I already told you--I don’t want to be a Malfoy! I’m tired of you dictating who I can and cannot speak with! I’m tired of being locked away in the bloody Manor all the time like some sort of damsel in distress! I’m better at magic than you! I’m tired of Father flinging spells and curses at me for everything and you--you being the bloody--perfect--heir!”

“Ow! Evanna!” 

There was the smell of burning fabric. Evanna’s wand had burned a hole through Draco’s shirt. She took a step back from him, feeling someone’s confusion behind her. She turned to see Potter, holding a glass of pumpkin juice, eyes narrowed on her brother. 

“Nothing to see here, Potter,” she spat, cheeks burning. She quickly dodged around the two boys and made her way by herself to the library, throwing herself onto a table in the furthest corner. 

“Oh, hallo, Evanna,” a dreamy voice said. “Feel free to move my books to the side.” 

Evanna looked up to see Luna and gave a soft smile. The other girl, while odd, never seemed to judge anything Evanna did. 

“Hello Luna--no one steal your shoes lately, right?” she said. 

“No, I think Eliza’s been rather too sad to play any jokes,” Luna replied. Evanna grimaced and began to pull out her parchment and quill and ink--Professor McGonagall had assigned them a rather complicated essay about Transfiguring non-similar objects that she was not looking forward to. She could do the spell, after all, who cared about how it worked?

“I’m glad they’re leaving you alone,” Evanna said. 

“Yes, though it can get rather lonely in the Tower. I do wish you were a Ravenclaw sometimes,” Luna said. Evanna shifted uncomfortably. To be perfectly honest, though she knew herself to be no studious Ravenclaw, she rather wished there was more distance between her and her brother. 

“Rotten luck about Creevey,” Evanna said. “Didn’t like him much, but he’s still just a first year. You would think school would be safer.”

“Why?”

Evanna blinked. “Well… because. It’s school.”

“But school is meant to mirror life and magic,” Luna looked more serious than Evanna had ever seen her. “And life and magic are dangerous.”

The pronouncement sent a shudder down Evanna’s spine. Before she could think of something to say Luna had dipped her own quill into an inkpot and began scratching out the same Transfiguration essay. Evanna took the book herself and flipped it open at random, plotting in her mind how best to avoid Draco for the next few days.

A booming trade of talismans and good-luck charms seemed to spring up overnight and Evanna couldn’t help but scoff at how easy her classmates were to fool, not to mention the teachers’ utterly futile attempts to dissuade the entrepreneurs.

“Why are you buying that?” she said dismissively as she watched Eva hand to sickles to a Hufflepuff boy who gave her a rabbit’s foot in exchange.

“It’s a good luck charm,” she said. “It’ll keep me safe from the monster.”

“You’re already safe,” Evanna said, rolling her eyes. “You’re not a Mudblood--you’re a Pureblood.” 

Both Eva and Elin stared at her in disbelief. 

“You really don’t know do you?” Elin said. 

“Know what?” Evanna asked, feeling a little irritated. 

“She’s a half-blood.”

Evanna’s eyes widened. She could feel it--a choice to make, two paths laid out before her. She saw her brother coming down the hall, loudly espousing the Malfoy line and making comments about Mudbloods getting theirs. She saw Potter on the other side, guarding his bushy haired friend and shouting back at Draco. 

“Well,” she said, in her usual posh way. “You are a Slytherin, aren’t you? And this is Slytherin’s monster. Besides, I’m as Pureblood as they come and you’re friends with me. The monster wouldn’t dare attack you.”


	20. Chapter 19

The rest of the month flew by and soon it was December and Professor Snape was taking names for who would be staying behind at Hogwarts for Winter Holidays. Draco made a big show of signing his name to the list, bragging about his father wanting him to keep an eye on things. Evanna rolled her eyes. She had steadfastly ignored her brother in the Common Room and hallways, still beyond angry with him that he had informed their father of every little thing she did. Logically, she knew he had not meant for their father to punish her so severely--he didn’t even know what had happened in that classroom that day--but it didn’t stop her from being angry.

As was his custom, Professor Snape came to the Common Room on Thursday night to grade papers at a large desk in a secluded corner of the Common Room. Though he was not exactly a warm person, he would use the time to make himself available for homework help for the younger years, career guidance for the older students, and simply remind his Snakes that he was around. (It depended on the day whether that was a comforting thought or not.)

That night, he had come in and made an announcement. “I expect anyone staying over break to let me know by the end of the night. Given there has been two attacks, the Headmaster wishes to take extra precautions with students staying over break.”

“He kept a three-headed dog in the third-floor corridor last year and he’s worried about a Petrified cat and first year?” a sixth year called out to giggles around the Common Room. Evanna smiled and Professor Snape smirked. 

“Sometimes the Headmaster is able to use more common sense than the usual Gryffindor,” he drawled. 

“But we’re Slytherins!” a third year called. “And it’s the monster of Slytherin! It wouldn’t attack one of us!”

“Be that as it may, I happen to agree with the Headmaster this once,” he said. “As said, you are all Slytherins. And as Slytherins, I expect you all to be prudent in the name of self preservation.”

The Slytherins murmured to each other and went back to what they had been doing. Several went up and signed the list, though Evanna stayed where she was, reading a novel on the couch. Slowly but surely, the Slytherins began to disperse, going to their rooms or to Quidditch practice, clubs, even some to Toad Choir rehearsal. Soon, there were only a few students left in the Common Room.

“Ms. Malfoy?” Professor Snape called her over as he was going over the list of students staying. “Are you not staying over the break?”

His eyes were boring into hers. There was almost an echo of a thought, and a stronger feeling concern and anxiety than she had felt since her professor had strengthened the bracelet. 

“No, sir,” she said. “I’m going home.”

“You do not have to,” he said vehemently, a surge of protectiveness emanating from him. Evanna was rather confused by the strong emotion from the stoic-looking man. 

“I need to speak to my mother, sir,” she said softly. “And I don’t think that will happen via owl.”

Professor Snape frowned. “If something should happen, Floo my quarters at Hogwarts.”

“I promise you sir, what happened before the Quidditch game really does not happen often. I can usually hold my own in our training sessions,” she said reasonably.

Professor Snape looked rather like he did not believe her, but nodded anyway. 

“Let me know if you change your mind,” he said. 

In addition to the sign up sheets for students staying over the holidays, another form on a lavender sheet of paper had made its way up onto the notice board. 

“Dueling Club!” Eva had exclaimed. “That sounds brilliant--especially if Professor Lockhart is teaching it.”

Evanna highly doubted that. There were many things to be said about her father’s teaching methods, but she knew for certain there was nothing Professor Lockhart would be able to teach her that Lucius had not already. Besides, her bracelet seemed to lose its effectiveness when emotions were high, and a bunch of students being able to take out their frustrations on one another…

Best not. 

Evanna quickly figured out how to Transfigure wool sweaters and socks as the weather grew ever colder, her dormmates often asking her to do the same for them. Most of her nights were spent in the library in order to avoid her brother, in addition to completing her homework. Unlike her brother, she was not top of her year in anything but defense. Though she always among the first to master the spellwork, she was never very good with all of the theory and essay writing that went with it. 

One night, near the end of term, nearly all the tables were full of upper years, studying for their midterms. Evanna looked, and the only table that had any empty seats was occupied by a redhaired girl, writing in a diary.

“Hey, Weasley,” Evanna said, sliding into the seat beside her. Weasley immediately shoved away the diary, brown eyes wide. Evanna furrowed her eyebrows. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Sure,” Weasley said nervously, trying to rearrange her stuff to cover the diary. Evanna saw the word “Riddle” embossed in gold before Weasley managed to hide it completely. 

“Thanks,” she said. “My brother is always in the Common Room--I just have to get away, you know?”

Weasley nodded. “Be grateful you only have the one.”

The two girls sat in companionable silence for several minutes, each reading their own respective books. 

“Thank you, for checking on me after… after Colin,” Weasley said. “And I’m sorry about what my housemates did.”

Evanna blinked. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, well,” Weasley said awkwardly. “It was right. That Finnegan is a real piece of work. That’s not how Gryffindors are supposed to behave.”

“According to my Housemates, I was lucky more didn’t attack,” Evanna said dryly. 

Weasley was silent. “It’s so stupid--the Founders were all friends. That’s why they started a school together.”

Evanna laughed. “Did you forget the part where Salazar Slytherin left a big spooky chamber with some sort of monster inside?”

Weasley actually laughed, more color coming to her face for the first time in a while. “All four of us were getting along on the train and rooting for each other during the Sorting. But the next morning, only Luna truly didn’t care what colors we were wearing.”

Evanna was silent, unsure of how to respond to Weasley. She had honestly tried, but like the rest of the school, Weasley and Travers had both seen the green and silver and immediately thought evil. It was the same thought process that had led to those Gryffindor boys to attack her in the Great Hall. It was the same thought process that had made her beg the Sorting Hat to place her away from the rest of her family. 

But her mother was not evil. She was fussy and elegant and loved Evanna dearly, even if she was rarely able to curb her husband’s worst training moments. Professor Snape, while rather moody and bad tempered most of the time had taken Evanna under his wing and seemed to genuinely care for all of the students in his charge. At least, he took his duty to keep them safe, healthy, and whole very seriously. Not all Slytherins were like Lucius Malfoy and Evanna had at least two other role models to emulate. 

“Are you staying at Hogwarts over the holiday?” Weasley asked, sounding hopeful.

“No, my brother is, but I want to see my mother,” she said. Weasley seemed to slump. 

“Oh, okay,” she said, gathering her stuff. “So, um, I guess, I’ll see you around, Malfoy.”

Evanna regarded her for a minute, then held out her hand. “Evanna. My name is Evanna.”

“Wha--”

“We introduced ourselves to each other on the train as Evanna and Ginny,” she said slowly. “We didn’t use our family names, we weren’t Sorted yet. I’d like to be known as simply Evanna again.”

Weasley smiled and took Evanna’s hand. “Ginny, then. Just Ginny.”

Evanna nodded happily. "So about that Charms essay--did Flitwick do any better explaining the theory to your class?"

"I doubt it," she said. "Mum has said that some Ravenclaws have the problem of being so smart that they don't know how to explain to anyone else. I was actually hoping you might know what to do--"

"I can do just about any spell you want but I'm pants at all these essays," Evanna said, just a note of whining to her voice. "I think I'll be lucky to get Acceptable in my classes this semester!"

Ginny's eyes widened. "Merlin, I forgot that we were getting our first marks soon!"

The two girls sat talking in the back of the library, discussing everything from classes to the problem of Luna’s stolen shoes to the Gryffindor boys still giving Evanna dirty looks and tripping jinxes. Some of the older ghosts would say, if you looked closely at the redhaired and blackhaired girls leaning together, you could almost imagine a burly man with a lion’s mane of a beard and another, more slender, but no less dangerous looking, sitting beside exchanging stories and ideas for a new school.


	21. hapter 20

It steadily got colder throughout the week. By the day that the duelling club was to begin, it seemed they were in for quite the storm. 

Draco had not stopped going on about the Dueling Club in the Common Room since the sign up sheet had been put up. He had gone on and on about how he would be able to use the opportunity to “show Potter his place”. At breakfast, he had slid into the seat beside her. 

“Hey, Ev,” he said in a wheedling tone that he had once used to get her to levitate some cookies off the shelf. “Any chance you could give me some pointers before Dueling Club? Father has always said you do so well in training sessions.”

“How long will it take you to realize that I am not speaking to you?” Evanna said, methodically choosing pieces of fruit to place on her plate. 

“C’mon,” he wheedled. “I haven’t told Father that you’re still going around with that half-blood in your dorm. Nor have I told him that you’re studying with the little Weasley in the library.”

Evanna’s eyes widened. “That’s the half-blood Father was angry about? I didn’t even realize her blood status until Creevey was Petrified!”

Draco gaped at her. “You didn’t real--that girl is constantly talking about muggle this or that in the Common Room. How did you not realize?”

Evanna shrugged. “She’s a Slytherin. That’s good enough for me.”

Draco shook his head and grabbed a muffin off her plate. She swatted at him. “If you didn’t realize that Blishwick is a half-blood, who did you think Father was upset about?”

Green eyes flashed in Evanna’s mind and she felt heat rush to her cheeks, but quickly quashed it. “No one. And I’m still not talking to you.”

“Evie,” he whined, prodding her side. She squirmed. “Please. Potter beat me in the Quidditch game--you gotta give me something. It would be unbearable to lose to him again.”

Evanna glared at her brother. He did not know the true meaning of unbearable. He sighed heavily, pushing himself up from the table as though he was nursing some sort of wound. Evanna pursed her lips at the blatant attempt at manipulation.

“Alright,” he said slowly. “I suppose I know when I’m unwanted…”

“Serpentsortia,” Evanna muttered. 

“What?”

“Serpentsortia,” she said. “It summons a snake. I read about it in one of Father’s books. Freaks most people out, but it’s not technically Dark Magic, so you shouldn’t get in trouble. And besides,” she said with a smirk, “doesn’t take overly much power to perform it.”

Draco narrowed his eyes. “I’ll ignore that last comment since it does sound like just the spell I need. Serpentsortia, you said?”

Evanna nodded and turned back to her breakfast. Draco was still standing beside her. She tried to ignore him. He began to sigh loudly again. Evanna ignored him. He tapped his foot. She grit her teeth and focused ever more carefully on her breakfast. Then he began all but stomping on the stone floor. She finally snapped. 

“What, Draco?” she snapped. 

“You didn’t sign up for Dueling Club,” he said. “And you didn’t sign up to stay over break.”

Evanna decided to ignore the second statement. “I don’t need some school child’s dueling club.”

“Don’t you at least want to come and watch your big brother cream everyone?”

“Do you want me to come and cream my big brother in front of everyone?” 

Draco frowned. “I could give you a run for your money.”

“I doubt it.”

“I’d really like you to come--”

“You are pushing your luck, Draco,” she said. “I’m still angry with you.”

“That’s what I don’t get,” he said. 

“What?”

He took the seat next to her again, and she cringed away from him. “You’re so angry with me for Father being upset with you and punishing you--and you still haven’t told me what your punishment was--and yet you’re still going home.”

“I need to train,” Evanna said uncomfortably, not looking at her brother. 

“But you’ve never wanted to train before.”

“Well, there’s a bloody great monster on the loose, so--”

“The monster of Slytherin. And you’re a Pureblood. We’re as far away from the enemies of the Heir as you can get, Ev,” Draco said reasonably. Evanna shifted. 

“Mother said she would explain to me what happened on the train--”

“Mother told me before term that you should stay at Hogwarts as much as possible. That’s why I was supposed to stay over holiday--so you would, too,” Draco said softly. “So tell me, why are you going home? You know that Father’s training will just be worse.”

Evanna glanced about them. None of the students seemed overly awake, but one could never be too certain. She looked at her brother. 

“I’m worried about Mother,” she said in a low voice. “I want to see her.”

I’m worried about you.

Evanna blinked at the strength and emotion behind the thought. She would never have thought her brother capable of such a thing, but then she remembered his previous comment--he had not reported anything else to their father. Did he know about her not having her wand, being submitted to the Cruciatus, having to have Professor Snape mop her up? She hated the thought of that. Though Draco was the older of the two, Evanna was most definitely the stronger and more powerful of the two. But, the thought of her brother knowing her lowest moment, well she wouldn’t say it was embarrassing. It was much worse than that. 

“Mother would say you need to look after yourself,” Draco replied. 

“Mother would say you need to quit trying to tell me what to do,” Evanna shot back. 

Draco shook his head and stood back up. “Fine, be stubborn. I do hope you’ll change your mind about the Dueling Club, sister darling.”

“Not a chance, brother dear,” she responded. “But do let me know if our Head of House sends Professor Lockhart to the Hospital Wing. I expect reenactments if you expect me to forgive you within the next decade.”

Draco laughed at the thought and left just as Eva and Elin walked in. Eva looked over her shoulder at the blonde leaving.

“You made up with your brother? Finally!” she exclaimed, throwing herself into the seat beside Evanna. Elin sat down across from them a little more dignifiedly. 

“I wouldn’t quite say that,” Evanna said with her nose pointing in the air. “He’s got a long way to go.”

“Merlin, I wouldn’t ever want to get on your bad side, Malfoy,” Elin said as she bit into a crumpet smothered with jam.

“Probably a smart idea, Gamp,” Evanna replied, though she smiled toothily. 

“That,” Eva said, pointing at Evanna’s smile, “is a look that could Petrify.”

All that anyone talked about throughout the school day was the Dueling Club and the incoming blizzard. Evanna had to admit, she was secretly excited to be able to have snowball fights and build snowmen with her friends over the weekend. She had never been allowed to at the Manor, and had often dreamed of the day she could do so like the radio dramas over the Wizard Wireless. She was even more excited when her Astronomy class was cancelled, leaving her with a night to herself in the Slytherin Common Room. 

While all her Housemates were at the club, Evanna read one of her mother’s old trashy romance novels (this particular one about an heiress who wished to marry a school teacher) and even fell asleep by the fire only to be woken by her brother roughly shaking her shoulder. 

“Your spell didn’t work,” he informed her irritably. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. 

“What?”

“Your spell didn’t work,” he said again, frowning deeply. “Apparently, snakes don’t really freak out Parselmouths.”

“Parselmou--”

“Yes, on top of being the bloody Boy-Who-Lived and Dumbledore’s darling and the youngest Seeker in a century--Potter is a bloody Parselmouth,” Draco sneered. “And of course some stupid Hufflepuff immediately starts spouting off that Potter is the bloody heir of Slytherin! Ha! Potter!”

Evanna’s head was spinning. Harry Potter, the Heir of Slytherin and a Parselmouth? The idea was absolutely absurd. She couldn’t think of someone less likely to be opening the Chamber of Secrets and attacking students.

“Surely everyone realizes how idiotic that idea is,” she said. “He defeated the last descendant of Slytherin! He’s a Gryffindor--the Gryffindor if you listen to some! He couldn’t possibly--”

“Oh, people at Hogwarts are a lot more idiotic than you’d expect at a school, Evanna,” Draco said scathingly. “You and I know he couldn’t be the heir of Slytherin. Hell, all of Slytherin House knows that he couldn’t be! But, you know that Gryffindors waste all their brain cells on death defying stunts and Hufflepuffs never had them to begin with!” 

Her brother continued to rant and rave about Potter and everyone looking to the bespectacled boy like he was something all that special with a stupid scar; essentially, he gave the same speech she had heard over the dinner table almost every night of the summer. Evanna just nodded along, knowing when to let her brother just run himself out of steam. But her mind was swimming. 

Harry Potter certainly could not be the Heir of Slytherin. But that begged the question: if not Potter, then who?


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The castle and surrounding grounds were covered by a thick white blanket of snow in the morning, with more snow still falling at alarming rates. All Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy classes had been cancelled through the end of term. Knowing that Binns never took attendance in History of Magic and that her Herbology class followed immediately after, Evanna decided to spend the morning simply exploring the castle instead, savoring one of her last days of freedom before the break.

“I’m beginning to think you’re following me, Malfoy,” Potter said as Evanna took a shortcut through one of the hidden passageways to the upper floors.

“Who’s to say you’re not following me?” she said, a challenge in her voice. 

“What? Why would I be following you?”

“Well, why would I follow you?”

“You weren’t there last night, were you?” Potter said almost bitterly.

“No, but I heard,” she said. “Since when is Saint Potter a Parselmouth?”

Potter’s face darkened. “Fine, Malfoy, if you wanna--”

“And beyond that Heir of Slytherin? Please,” Evanna scoffed. “Not that you’d do that any better justice than you have the Potter family Sleakeasy empire.”

She playfully yanked on a strand of his hair. 

“I’m sorry, the what?” he said confused. 

“Sleakeasy?” she said. “Well, I guess obviously you’ve never heard of it.”

Potter shook his head before seeming to latch on something else. “You don’t believe I’m the Heir of Slytherin?”

“Of course not,” Evanna scoffed. Potter’s eyes narrowed and Evanna didn’t need any headaches to tell her what he was thinking. “And before you ask, neither is my brother or myself. If you ask me, it has to be an older student.”

“But--”

“Rip… kill… tear…”

Icy fear gripped Evanna’s heart and she looked at Potter.

“We need to get out--”

But the Gryffindor boy had already taken off down the hallway, going the same direction of the voice. Using some of the curse words she had picked up from some of the older years after Draco had lost the Quidditch game, Evanna ran after him, stopping at the edge of the corridor. 

They looked like wax figures, she thought. Well, except for the ghost, whose head was lolling grotesquely to the side. But the two boys had Evanna’s attention. One, a Hufflepuff, judging by his robes. The other was a Gryffindor--one who she recognized, even without hearing his Irish lilt. She shook her head and started backing up as she heard footsteps echoing down the hallway. Her eyes widened when she saw Professor McGonagall round the corner. She bumped into something warm behind her. 

“Go straight to my office,” Professor Snape said behind her. “Do not look back--do not let anyone see you. I will be along shortly.”

Evanna glanced at Potter, who was being admonished by Professor McGonagall.

“Nothing will happen to Mr. Potter,” Professor Snape sneered. “I cannot promise the same for you unless you leave. Now.”

Evanna nodded, rushing around her professor to go towards the Slytherin dungeons, taking all the most deserted hallways along the way, heart pounding in her ears. She burst into her professor’s office, slamming the door shut behind her. She paced back and forth, wringing her hands nervously. Was she going to be expelled? Sent to Azkaban? Sent back home?

She jumped when the door opened. Professor Snape stood in front of her, face unreadable. 

“Sir, please, is Pott--”

“Sent to the Headmaster’s office. However, I’ve never once known our great Headmaster to punish a Potter, so I am sure the boy will still be at Hogwarts to be a pain in my side, despite the looks of the situation.”

Evanna was rather surprised by how relieved that made her. 

“The bigger concern is what you were doing there,” he said. “This is the second time you’ve been at the scene and the second time someone misfortunate enough to gain your ire has been caught in the crosshairs,” the professor said with eyebrow raised. “I can guess at the things your father has taught you. Things do not look well for you, Ms. Malfoy.”

Evanna shook her head. “Please, sir, it’s just been coincidence. I haven’t hurt anyone.”

“Then tell me how it was that you came to be in that corridor with Mr. Potter if you were not exacting some sort of revenge when you were supposed to be in class?”

Evanna winced. She had hoped that in the mess of it all that little tidbit would be forgotten.

“I--I just wanted to explore the castle and my Herbology class was cancelled--”

“But you were supposed to be in History of Magic,” Professor Snape intoned. 

“Yes, well, erm,” she muttered. “Potter was in a secret passageway that Draco had shown me as a shortcut to the Charms classroom. And then I heard that same voice again…”

“And you went towards it,” he said. “Despite the admonishment I gave to your entire House to use common sense and a modicum of self-preservation--”

“I was going to run away from it, sir!” she exclaimed. “I truly was! Only of course Potter started running towards it--”

“And of course you followed him,” the professor sneered. “Mr. Potter seemed ot have quite the talent for not only getting himself into trouble, but all the students surrounding him too. He’s a worse menace than that bloody dog ever was…”

Evanna was silent as her professor seemed to give in to some of his overwhelming frustration, pacing the floor angrily. Finally he looked at her.

“Take a seat,” he snapped, whirling around to the chair behind his desk. Evanna did so. The professor sat behind his desk, looking agitated as he tapped his fingers, played with a paperweight, fiddled with his wand. Evanna stayed completely silent throughout it all. Finally, he looked up at her.

Could I be wrong about her?

The thought wounded Evanna in a way she hadn’t expected, even if she didn’t know exactly what it was referring to. All she knew was that she held her Head of House in much higher regard than she ever had her father, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. Anything that would sway that feeling was something Evanna desperately wanted to avoid.

“Tell me truthfully,” he said. “Did Lucius put you up to something this year? I know the legends and I know that the monster should only attack muggleborns--but such a monster puts everyone in this castle at risk. You must consider that carefully.”

“I promise, I know nothing.” 

“Not even a hint?” The professor seemed to almost beg. “A student’s familiar, three students, and a House ghost--all these attacks will have the governors calling for the school’s closure if the culprit is not caught soon. You don’t want the school to close, do you?”

Evanna felt bile press at her throat. To have to go back to the manor, to not escape until she was of age or even older… She didn’t think she would survive. 

“No, sir, I swear,” she said. “If you are really sure that my father is behind all these attacks--if they will truly cause the school to close--I can try and find out what is going on over break. I could sneak in his office--”

“No!” Professor Snape snapped. “In fact, I believe you ought to remain at Hogwarts for the break--I believe you will be safer here--”

“But, sir, I couldn’t possibly,” she said. “I have to speak to my mother.”

Snape shook his head. “Listen to me, girl--no conversation you could have with your mother could possibly be worth going near Lucius Malfoy! He put an Unforgivable on you in the middle of Hogwarts, for Salazar’s sake!”

“But my mother--”

“Your mother is a grown witch, with far more options than you, if only she would take them,” he spat bitterly. “You are barely old enough to be a Hogwarts student!”

“I am eleven!”

Professor Snape held his head in his hands. A strange noise was coming from him, sharp and staccato and almost painful sounding. Evanna looked at him in concern, almost reaching out a hand to make sure he was okay.

“Sir? Are you quite alright?” she asked. 

A moment later and he seemed to compose himself, lifting his head from his hands to look at her. She had the strangest feeling that he had been laughing at her, but everything she knew about the professor said that simply was not possible. 

“Yes, Ms. Malfoy, you are eleven,” he said with a strained voice. “And as you are eleven, you should have been in class this morning, not gallivanting about the castle chasing after murderous voices.”

“I di--”

He held up a hand. “As you refuse to listen to reason and stay at Hogwarts over holiday with your brother, your week’s worth of detention for skipping class and running wantonly into danger like a Gryffindor shall have to wait until you return.”

Evanna groaned aloud and the professor gave her a look. 

“Shall I make it two?”

“No, sir.”

“Very well. You are dismissed,” he said. “See that you don’t ever skive off my class, yes?”

Evanna nodded and rushed out the door, head swimming with the strange events of the day.


	23. Chapter 22

Narcissa Malfoy looked thinner. She was as elegant as ever, in that light, delicate way that Evanna knew she could never quite pull off the way her mother could. From her curly mass of hair to her forever stubby fingers, Evanna felt she took up space in a way completely antithetical to how her mother was able to draw every eye to her. 

But, still, her mother seemed somewhat diminished standing there on the train station waiting on Evanna. Her face lit up as Evanna rushed off to greet her, but the smile did not fully reach her eyes. Evanna thought she could see the faint glimmer of a glamor, but it could just as easily been the reflection off a snow drift. 

“Oh, Evanna darling, I missed you so!” Narcissa said, wrapping her arms tightly around Evanna. 

“I missed you too, Mother,” Evanna replied. “How come you never answered my owls?”

Narcissa’s eyes shuttered as she looked about the train station. “I was rather unwell, darling--didn’t your father tell you?”

“Yes,” Evanna said, not caring about the tone of resentment in her voice. “But you said--”

“Let’s go along home, dear,” Narcissa cut her off. “We can talk as you unpack. Your father is on a business trip and won’t be home until tomorrow.”

Evanna nodded, a great weight she didn’t know she was carrying seeming to lift off her at the thought. She grasped her mother tightly as she was sucked into Side-Along Apparition, arriving just outside of the Manor. Narcissa brushed her impeccable skirt-suit and heavy cloak off, despite none of her clothes having so much as a wrinkle, and then looked over Evanna’s own clothing with a shrewd look.

“I don’t remember ever purchasing anything quite like for you,” she said, gesturing to Evanna’s black turtleneck sweater dress and tall dragonhide boots. 

“I felt like I was a little old for the pastels,” her mother quirked her lips at that as they walked into the foyer of Malfoy Manor.

“Oh? And where did you obtain the black?”

“My dormmates taught me,” she said. “Did you know there were spells that you can use to make your clothes look like the ones in the magazine? My stitching is usually a little wonky, but I have gotten--”

“My dear girl, if you had wanted new clothes, you should have told me rather than do something so plebeian,” Narcissa bemoaned. “I suppose you have reached an age to make your own decisions about your sense of style--so long as you do not go overboard with it. I shall set up a clothing allowance for you to use in the morning.”

By that time, they were up the stairs into Evanna’s room. Evanna tossed her trunk onto the bed and flipped it open, as though she would actually be the one to unload it, but of course, the house-elf, Dobby would actually hold that responsibility. The elf snapped into the room, and set to it almost immediately, leaving Evanna and Narcissa to sit on the bed.

“So, Mother,” she said. “Why did you not send me hardly any owls this summer? Will you finally tell me what happened on the train? And why were you able to tell Professor Snape what to do in a letter and not me? And why didn’t you owl me like you said you would? And what is this bracelet you gave me--it looks nothing like anything you would ever wear--”

“Slow down and breathe, darling,” Narcissa said, placing a hand on Evanna’s. “I will get to all of your questions, I promise--Dobby, bring us some tea, would you?” 

“Yes, Mistress.”

The elf was back in a moment, and Narcissa carefully served Evanna some tea. Evanna took a sip and then stared pointedly at her mother. Narcissa sighed and sat her own tea down in her saucer. 

“You should know what I’m about to tell you your father would prefer you not hear,” she said. “You should do your best not to let him know that I have discussed this with you.”

A flash of an empty classroom and an echo of pain went down Evanna’s spine. No, she would never tell her father anything that she did not have to. 

“Of course, Mother,” she said. “But what is it?”

“You know that your great grandmother passed away the night before you were born. Wonderful witch,” Narcissa said wistfully. “She had a way of making everyone listen to her, no matter how high they thought themselves. Family legend claims she was even able to bend the ear of Grindelwald. You have her eyes--Valerie Rosier’s eyes.”

Evanna furrowed her eyebrows. Her mother so rarely spoke of her side of the family, not that Evanna blamed her over much. The Black family had been all but decimated in the war. A blood traitor, two prisoners in Azkaban, one child dead--Narcissa, so far as Evanna knew, was the only one left. 

“But what does that have to do with what happened at the train station?” Evanna asked. “Or what’s been happening all term?”

Narcissa’s eyes suddenly snapped to hers. “Is the bracelet not working even after Severus strengthened the charms?”

Evanna shrugged. “I’ve not been getting any more headaches, but odd things have been happening at Hogwarts.” 

“Yes, Severus has said as much. I’m not altogether sure…” she trailed off before looking at Evanna again. “He says you’ve heard the attacker’s voice?”

“Yes, since a week after term started,” Evanna said. “But it seems… different, somehow. Is whatever this is very common?”

“Oh, my dear, no,” Narcissa said. “As far as I’m aware, you would be the only one alive to possess the Gift. At least that’s what all the family legends say--you know I can trace my lineage much farther back that Merlin? On my mother’s side, we have been here as long as the Celts.”

“Yes, Mother,” Evanna said, feeling irritated. “But that does not explain emotions that I have no right to feel and thoughts inside my head that aren’t mine!”

Narcissa coolly took a sip of tea. “Are you quite done?”

“No, Mother, I’m not quite done!” Evanna said angrily, standing to her feet. “You and Father keep me locked up in this Manor for all my life--not Draco, mind you, but me--and when I finally get out of this house for once in my life, I collapse from all the noise! And you give me some ugly bangle and tell me you will owl me but you don’t! And Father, he comes to the school, and he--he--”

It was that abandoned classroom again and Evanna had left her wand behind and a red spell was shooting toward her and she was shaking all over and she felt her face and it was wet--

Narcissa had set aside her tea and gathered Evanna up in her arms. Evanna allowed herself to sink into that embrace.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” Narcissa whispered into her hair. “I’m so sorry for all my mistakes.”

Evanna slowly pushed away from her mother as her shaking subsided. Professor Snape’s words to her were ringing in her ears. But how could what he said be true? Lucius Malfoy was one of the most powerful men in Britain and Narcissa had no family left. None but Evanna and Draco, and Pureblood laws were such that both children would have to stay with their father, even against their Mother’s wishes.

Better off without me. 

“Mother, please, in the simplest terms, just tell me what’s going on with me?” Evanna said. 

Narcissa seemed ready to say something, but then nodded. Before she sat back down, something caught her eye however. Evanna watched as her mother watched the house-elf carry the book Luna Lovegood had given her for making her shoes.

“Here you are giving me such trouble and you already knew,” Narcissa scolded, a forced playfulness in her tone. 

“What are you talking about?”

“Elf, bring me that book.”

The elf followed Narcissa orders immediately. “You can finish the rest later. Leave.”

Her mother pointed at the runes on the cover. “The Book of Purple Eyes--it has the tales of all the léitheoir aigne since the end of the Roman Invasion.”

“You mean this is about something real?” Evanna asked, thinking she may have to reevaluate Luna Lovegood’s opinion on the nargles.

“Are you real?” Narcissa teased gently.

“But what does it mean?”

“The middle ages and the witch hunts were not the only times our people were persecuted by Muggles,” Narcissa said. “In particular, the Romans did not appreciate any who undermined their power--especially women who did so. The léitheoir aigne were respected amongst the tribes of Britain--women of great power, all marked by purple eyes. This made them rather easy to pick out by the Romans.

“When it became evident that the Romans were going to conquer, a complex bit of magic was performed--so the story goes--by the Maid, the Maiden, and the Crone. It ensured that no matter what, there would always be one of the Gift, as they called it, living in Britain.”

Evanna furrowed her eyebrows. “But what does that mean? Practically, I mean.”

“I believe you can already guess, my darling. And you must start to control it, before it controls you. That bracelet won’t last forever.”

A mind reader. You can read minds, and one day, you will do so much more.


	24. Chapter 23

“Hallo Evanna, did you have a good holiday?” 

Evanna startled awake in the little train compartment as Luna Lovegood stepped in, smiling serenely. She barely suppressed a groan at the aching in her ribcage and the migraine behind her temples. 

“Fine,” she said shortly. She pointedly closed her eyes again, just as much to block out the light as to discourage the blonde from staying. Luna, however, had never been one for social cues. 

“You’re still wearing your bracelet--I had thought you would figure things out more quickly,” the other girl said. Anyone else and it would have sounded insulting.

“I am figuring it out, but the Platform is… noisy,” Evanna said. 

Narcissa had spent every spare moment with Evanna trying to help her learn how to control “the Gift”, though it seemed to have only made Evanna’s headaches more frequent, even within the Manor. Luckily, Lucius’ “business trip” seemed to have lasted awhile--he had not come back until the last two days of break. Those last two days, however, he had been brutal in their training sessions. Though she may have had her wand, there was sometimes just no blocking against certain kinds of Dark Magic. The day of the quidditch pitch seemed to open some sort of floodgate with Lucius, for he had used both the cruciatus and the imperius curse on her during their training sessions, trying to make her throw them off. 

“Then I’ll be quiet,” Luna said and Evanna had to smile despite herself. How much easier would it be to be Luna Lovegood instead of Evanna Malfoy?

“Thank you,” Evanna said. “And thank you for the book too.”

Luna positively beamed at that and Evanna winced at the sharp spike of emotion. But, she couldn’t be too upset. After a long break, she was headed back to Hogwarts.

She was herded into her Head of House’s office almost immediately on arrival; the dour Potions master had been waiting in the Great Hall for her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, frowning, and guided her into the office towards the chair in front of his desk. 

“Sit,” he said. Evanna did so without protest. Professor Snape waved his wand over her, muttering different spells in Latin and frowning. 

“Just what were you up to over break to warrant two cracked ribs and multiple contusions, Ms. Malfoy?” he said.

“Sledding,” Evanna replied dryly. Professor Snape sighed and shook his head, but he waved his wand over her ribs in a complicated fashion anyway. Soon, the aching she felt as she breathed deeply for the first time in two days. She stood, smoothing her skirt primly. She was quite happy with the new clothing her mother had allowed her to order, even if it was not quite as scandalous as what she and her dormmates had been recreating from the magazines. 

“Thank you, sir,” she said, not insincerely as she made to walk out. He stopped her. 

“I believe you ought not go sledding anymore. Perhaps we could make you a ward of Hogwar--”

“I am not a ward,” Evanna said. “I am a child of the Noble House of Malf--”

“Can’t you Purebloods forget your damnable pride for even a moment?” Professor Snape sneered. “That man is torturing you, using Dark Magic on you, making you use Dark Magic. You know most wizards don’t start using Dark Magic until their thirteenth birthday, when their core is developed enough for it to not be dama--”

“Oh, and how old were you, sir?” she sneered. He shot her a glare.

“Fifteen and wiser to the world than you,” he said scathingly. “Even now, there may be certain kinds of magic you will never be able to perform. What Lucius has done--”

“And why is it any of your business what Lucius does to me?” she demanded. “Why do you care? He is my father; if he wants to train me to be stronger and more powerful than anyone else, then what is it to you?”

“He is torturing you and stunting your growth, magical and otherwise. None of your family has ever been petite--”

“Oh, and now you’re going to pick on my height!” Evanna exclaimed, throwing her hands up in a most undignified fashion. “What does it matter to you?”

“You are a student in my care, and as such--”

“There are over a hundred students in your House, including my brother, and you’re not worried about them,” she said, pushing further than she had ever pushed. The break had been so hard, and her head was aching and she wanted to go to bed, but more than that, she wanted to know what made Severus Snape so insistent on protecting her. “You are my Head of House, not my father!”

But I think I might be.

“Excuse me?” Evanna said loudly, not quite comprehending at first that what she had heard was a thought. 

“I said nothing, Ms. Malfoy,” Professor Snape responded, giving her an odd look. She shook her head. The older she had become, the more she had wished she was not a Malfoy, but this? Her mother was unhappy with her father, Evanna knew, and though she was only eleven, she knew the facts of life. But…

“Do you know something about me that I don’t, Professor?” Evanna pressed. 

“I know that you can be highly tiresome, Ms. Malfoy, and you haven’t seemed to catch on,” Professor Snape said slowly. Too slowly. As if he was pushing the thought deep, deep inside him. 

“That isn’t what I was talking about and you know it, sir,” she said. “My mother just revealed to me some super secret family powers that I’ve apparently inherited that has been causing me all sorts of headaches. And I just can’t help but wonder by the way you’ve treated me if there’s not something you know about me, too.”

Professor Snape was silent. “There is nothing that I know about you, Ms. Malfoy, that you do not.”

Evanna narrowed her eyes. “Do not lie to me, Professor. I can tell when someone lies.”

“I do not make a habit of lying to my students, nor do I make a habit of indulging their insolence, no matter what they may think of what I do or do not know,” Professor Snape snarled. But Evanna was not having it, not now. Not when she knew there was something so large about her identity being hidden from her. 

“Professor, please!” she all but begged. “Don’t I deserve to know?”

“I don’t know anything!”

“Then tell me what you suspect!” she yelled back. “Obviously Lucius and my mother won’t tell me anything--he stopped her from even telling me that I was a leathy aggy thing!”

Professor Snape’s head snapped up and she knew that he knew what she referencing and what it meant. There was fear that washed over her, fear and shame. 

I have to let her know. 

Evanna tilted her chin, equally nervous and triumphant at the thought that the professor would finally give her some straight answers. She was altogether shocked, however, when the door opened of its own accord and Professor Snape pointed to it. 

“Get. Out.”

“But, sir--”

“OUT!”

Evanna jumped at the harsh scream and rushed out of the office, heart pounding. The door slammed shut again behind her as she rushed to the Slytherin Common Room. Her brother greeted her at the door.

“Evanna! You’re paler than the Bloody Baron!” he exclaimed at the door. “And you’re shaking--no wonder, that’s an awfully short skirt for the castle in the winter time. Were Mother and Father alright?”

“Father was away on business most of the break,” Evanna said blankly. 

“Well that’s good, isn’t it? Evanna?”

“Hmm? Yes, it was fine,” she said distractedly. “And your own break?”

“Well, Crabbe and Goyle acted really strangely--I think maybe the Weasley twins snuck something into their Christmas pudding, but it was mostly quiet. I caught sight of Granger in the Hospital Wing--she looks like a cat, I swear, and--”

Evanna mostly tuned him out. Her brother could and would keep talking until the thestrals came home, the way he loved the sound of his own voice. But she had bigger issues to worry about. She had made Snape, her one adult ally, unbelievably angry with her. Yet, she needed to know what he knew. She would hate to leave her brother alone with an angry Lucius Malfoy, but if she was not his…. If she had a different Father to claim her….

Pureblood law was clear. The closest male relative was the automatic guardian of any magical child, unless they were stripped of their name and inheritance, in which case they were made wards of Hogwarts, a penniless charity case. That would not do. But, if there was someone who had greater claim to her than Lucius…

She had to find out what Professor Snape knew.


	25. Chapter 24

Winter passed slowly. Despite all of Filch’s attempts to clean the Chamber wall, the words were all but immovable. The only student less popular than the Slytherins was Harry Potter himself as people hissed insults as he passed. The thoughts that Evanna overheard from the other students about the supposed heir of Slytherin and the Slytherins themselves made her shudder. Who knew that schoolchildren could be so vicious? Though Luna continued to act as though nothing was wrong, Bridget Travers was back to avoiding Evanna and it seemed that Ginny Weasley was ignoring everyone.

The night Evanna had returned from home, she had sent a letter to her mother to let her know she had arrived safely, but dared not mention her suspicions about Severus Snape. Who knew what Lucius might monitor? Yet, it did not matter. Narcissa sent no owls to either her daughter or her son. For that matter, Professor Snape steadily ignored Evanna in all her classes, despite her attempts to talk to him. He carefully avoided eye contact with her and when she annoyed him too much, he had even assigned her detention with Filch. 

“What are you in for?” Potter said as he made his way into the trophy room where Evanna was serving her detention. 

“Annoying Professor Snape with my “incessant staring”,” she said, doing a fair imitation of the man. Potter snickered.

“I thought Snape would never give a Slytherin detention,” he said. 

“Oh, he does,” she replied. “Just not with other Houses looking on. He has a thing about House loyalty.”

“Never would have guessed,” Potter said drolly.

“Less chattering, more polishing!” Filch snapped from the corner of the room. Both students quietened, passing each other rags and polish as needed. Evanna waited until the caretaker was turned away again.

“Granger out of the Hospital Wing yet?”

Potter blinked. “How did you--”

“My brother loves to go on about her cat tail,” she said. “Loves the sound of his own voice, really. What did you all get into over break? Does McGonagall never check up on her Gryffindors?”

Potter flushed bright red, making his eyes pop even more than usual. “It’s not as if she holds weekly check-ins in the Common Room. We’re not children.”

“Technically, we all are children, except maybe some of the seventh years,” Evanna said, trying to catch Potter’s eye. Something fishy was going on and she desperately wanted to know what it was. 

“Oi, look at this,” Potter said in an obvious bid to change the subject. “This Riddle dude has like five awards.” 

Riddle. The word echoed in Evanna’s mind. Riddle. She had seen it before somewhere, emblazoned in gold on black leather, the inverse of the little gold shield that was sitting in the cabinet. She froze.

“Cover for me, Potter,” she said. 

“Wha--”

“Cover for me,” she repeated. “And for that matter, you wouldn’t happen to know where Ginny Weasley is tonight?”

“Why would I know--”

“Never mind,” Evanna said, surreptitiously looking behind her shoulder. Filch had left, likely to go find misbehaving students. “There’s some dirt on that one there.”

“You’re leaving?” Potter said incredulously.

“Yes, do keep up, Potter,” Evanna quipped, then clutched at her lower abdomen, putting on a fake pained expression. “I’m not feeling well. Woman problems.”

Potter went beet red and waved her off. Evanna smirked, ducking out of the trophy room and heading toward the library. After all, McGonagall had assigned a killer essay over the weekend, and Evanna knew that the Gryffindors had Transfiguration in the morning.... 

Sure enough, when Evanna walked into the library, she saw a redhead bent low over a table in the back, writing something. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on her sometimes friend. The waves of shame and even fear coming off of Ginny Weasley did not make sense for a one foot essay. Making a decision, Evanna slipped into the shelves of books and made her way over to the tables as sneakily as possible, until she was standing just behind the girl. She glanced and saw that Ginny was not writing on a piece of parchment, but in a thin, black diary. Despite not looking her in the eye, Ginny’s thoughts were loud enough to pierce through all the protections on Evanna’s bracelet. 

Tom, I think that I am the one doing this. I think I was sleepwalking or something last night because when I woke up I was by the greenhouses with chicken blood on my hands…

Evanna shoved down her alarm, hoping not to scare Ginny. She remembered why she had found that diary familiar when she had last saw it--it had once been sitting on the desk in her father’s study and anything that was something that had once belonged to Lucius Malfoy… Well, there was reason to be scared. 

“Hallo, Ginny,” she said, coming out from behind the other girl. Ginny jumped and tried to hide the diary, but Evanna didn’t let her, hopping up onto the table and placing a hand on it. She felt a tingle like static electricity when she touched it. “What have you got here?”

“None of your business, Malfoy,” Ginny hissed. 

“But I think it is,” Evanna said. “And what I think is my business I make my business.”

“That… that makes no sense,” Ginny said.

“Makes perfect sense to me!” Evanna said, before hopping off the table with the diary in hand. There were two distinct handwritings all over the page. In fact, as Evanna watched, more writing in a thin, elegant script appeared. 

“You’re just tired, Ginny. There is no need to worry. Perhaps you fell and scraped your hands on the flagstones--the pavement really is most uneven.”

“Who is writing you?” Evanna asked, a terrible feeling in her chest. 

“Give that back!” Ginny said, grasping for the book. Evanna quickly pulled her wand.

“Wingardium Leviosa!” she said, sending the diary shooting up in the air. 

“Hey!”

“Is it some sort of communication device?” Evanna asked. “Who’s on the other end?”

“It’s just a diary, and he gives good advice sometimes,” the other girl said, climbing up on the shelf to reach for the diary. Evanna yanked her wand downwards and hid the book behind her back. 

“He? You mean--” she flipped the diary towards her face, “--Tom Marvolo Riddle? What a pretentious middle name.”

“Better than Belinda,” Ginny said somewhat nastily, finally snatching the diary back. Evanna let her. “And it’s none of your business.”

“Ginny, I’m being serious. I’d like to consider you a friend, if you’ll let me,” Evanna said softly. “But this--this is scary stuff. I know you Weasleys are--”

“What? Poor? Blood traitors?”

“Light,” Evanna said, feeling somewhat offended. But, there was still fear radiating from Ginny’s every pore. “You Weasleys have always dealt with Light magic. But, well--”

“Malfoys are known for being Dark wizards,” Ginny said. Evanna winced. 

“Yeah. And that diary seems dangerous,” she said. To her amazement, Ginny’s eyes began to fill with tears. 

“I know--I--I was just lonely and Tom was so friendly and my brothers were ignoring me and you and Bridget and Luna are all in different Houses and--and--”

Evanna awkwardly put a hand on Ginny’s shoulder, not altogether sure how to deal with someone else crying. Her mother and father never showed such emotions and her brother only cried crocodile tears to convince their mother of something he wanted, but he had even outgrown that. 

“First things first--let’s get rid of the diary,” Evanna said. “Then--well, maybe you could come sit with me in Slytherin sometime? Only, the Gryffindors didn’t seem to like me much.”

Ginny’s eyes widened. “You--you really want me to sit with you?”

“I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

The two girls smiled at each other just in time for Madam Pince to throw them out. Ginny took Evanna to the second floor girl’s bathroom. Evanna wrinkled her nose at the faint smell of rotten potions ingredients that wafted from the room. 

“No one ever comes in here,” she explained as they reached the door. “It’s haunted--and the ghost is rather, erm--”

“Whiny?” Evanna said. “I’ve heard some of the girls in Slytherin complaining about Moaning Myrtle before.”

Ginny laughed a little as they entered the bathroom quietly. She hesitated as they came to a stall.

“I just--I should say goodbye to Tom--”

She was reaching for her school bag to get out her quill and ink, but Evanna grabbed her wrist. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. If you want, I can do it,” she offered. 

Ginny bit her lip, looking between Evanna and the diary. Slowly, she nodded. Evanna took the diary from her friend.

Like when she first touched it, she felt something akin to static electricity but stronger. It felt familiar, almost like when she walked into the Slytherin Common Room for the first time, but without any of the safety she now associated with the room under the lake. Instead, there was a sort of sloshy feeling in her stomach. 

“See ya around, Tom,” she said with forced amusement for Ginny’s sake as she tossed the diary into a toilet. 

“See you, Tom,” Ginny said softly. 

They left the bathroom with a flush and a giggle, thought that quickly ended with the appearance of a dark figure in the hallway. 

“Uh-oh,” Evanna muttered. 

“What?”

“Well, I kind of ducked out a detention that he assigned me,” she said. “You might want to make yourself scarce.”

“You skipped out on a Snape detention?” Ginny said aghast. “And you’re not even a Gryffindor?”

“Yeah, yeah, go on,” Evanna said, waving her off. Ginny took another look between Evanna and the clearly fuming Professor Snape and did just that. 

“So, you think you can leave a detention early as soon as your supervisor has to do something else?” Professor Snape said as Evanna approached him. 

“You think you can just avoid me in order to keep secrets,” Evanna said, folding her arms herself. 

“Despite what you may believe, Ms. Malfoy, I am not beholden to you,” he said. 

“Don’t call me that!” Evanna said. “Not when you believe it’s not true!”

“Has it ever occurred to you, Ms. Malfoy,” Professor Snape pressed, “that some secrets are kept for the safety of yourself and others involved? It is a dangerous world we live in, even before these Petrifications.”

“I know about dangerous people--”

“You know about Lucius Malfoy, but there are more dangerous forces in the world--”

“Stop it! Just stop it!” Evanna shouted, covering her ears. 

Soooo hungry…. Masters have been wronged…. MUST FIND FOOD….

“The voice,” Evanna gasped. Immediately, Professor Snape’s entire demeanor changed. 

“Well, lead the way!”

Evanna began to race through the castle, listening for the voice. There was a faint rustling in her head and then--

There was a pair of shoes hanging from the ceiling in front of her, hanging in front of one of the windows. And beside them--

Luna Lovegood was frozen, hand reaching up for the shoes, but eyes wide. Evanna had never seen anything but wonderment and bemusement on the blonde’s face, but now, etched into it, was pure fear. Evanna turned to her professor, not even caring about the tears that had sprung to her eyes. 

“Sir--”

Comforting black and the scent of potions ingredients surrounded her as she cried for her best friend.


	26. Chapter 25

Professor Snape saw to it that Evanna was safely in her dorm before he informed the other teachers of the attack. After all, it would not look right for a young Slytherin to be found again at the sight of another attack. She was shaking as she walked into the Common Room and her roommates rushed to her. 

“What’s wrong Evanna?” Eva said. 

“There’s been another attack,” Evanna said to the room at large. “Luna Lovegood.”

There were several gasps as the information rippled through the room. Someone near the back finally said it. 

“But she’s a Pureblood!”

“Maybe enemies of the heir are also blood traitors?”

“The Lovegoods aren’t blood-traitors, though. They’re just… eccentric.”

Conversation in the room grew to a crescendo as everyone tossed out their own ideas and theories. Evanna was swaying on her feet as a wave of may different fears rolled over her like a tsunami from every direction in the room. She reached out and caught the arm of someone before she collapsed. 

“Oi, Malfoy! What’s wrong with your sister?” a voice from far away called. Evanna squeezed her eyes shut, though it did nothing against the noise. “She looks ready to pass out!”

“You should get her to the Hospital Wing--it looks like she’s in pain!”

“NO!” Evanna said forcefully, coming out of her daze for a moment to see her brother’s worried grey gaze. 

How horrible was Father over Yule that she’s still refusing the Hospital Wing?

This time, it was Evanna’s own shame that washed over her. She had been training for years; her body was bruised and scarred in ways that she knew a mediwitch could recognize. And if someone probed too deeply into Malfoy family secrets, they were bound to get hurt. Besides, Evanna was eleven now; she knew enough that she ought to be able to hold her father off during their training sessions, right?

“I think she just needs some air,” Draco said lightly, putting an arm around her and pulling her along with him to one of the study rooms along the window to the lake. Evanna took a deep breath as the noise ebbed. 

“I thought you said Mother helped you over break?” Draco asked. “And that Father was gone?”

“She did and he was most of the time,” Evanna said. “It’s just, when everyone is scared like that and emotions are so high… It’s hard to control.”

“What about that bracelet, isn’t working?”

“Mother said the more I use my gift the less the bracelet will work,” Evanna said glumly. Draco hummed. 

“Well that’s a terrible gift--you can’t go into a room of people without getting a migraine,” he said. 

“Somehow, I have a feeling that could happen even without my Gift,” Evanna replied. “I’m sure that’s why Professor Snape has that look on his face most days.” She pulled the face that she had seen her professor give his students many times. 

Draco snorted. “It’s uncanny how you can mimic him so well.”

Evanna froze for a moment, then shrugged the comment off as casually as she could. “Yes, well, I’m tired and ready for bed.”

She turned to leave, but her brother caught her hand. “Wait, Ev--are you okay, truly?”

Her brother seemed so sincere. But, she remembered earlier in the year, how her father had known every move she was making. Draco had been afraid of Lucius being told from another source and made sure he was the one to give such information. Once she had froze him out, he had stopped sending as many letters, but Evanna knew he still sent some. Her brother may care about her, but he was no confidante. 

“No, no, it’s nothing. Just tired,” she said. 

“Alright,” he replied trepidatiously. 

The next day, it was announced that teachers would now be escorting all students to and from their classes. Students were not even allowed to go to the bathroom by themselves and quidditch was cancelled. Anti-Slytherin sentiment was rising along with spring temperatures throughout the school. A couple of seventh-year Gryffindors had hexed some third years on their way to the greenhouses. The same Ravenclaw girls who had hidden Luna’s shoes were making loud comments about expelling all the Slytherins and possibly even sending them to Azkaban in order to find the heir. Evanna buried herself in books, often taking the book Luna had given her to the Hospital Wing in order to read to her friend. Though the book contained some interesting historical facts, it was lacking in practical application for her powers. 

“I wish I could just look into your mind and know who did this to you,” she whispered to Luna one afternoon. “I would have them wishing they had just been expelled.”

Rumors floated around the school that Hogwarts would soon be closing, what with four attacks and six Petrification victims and the teachers still being no closer to finding out the culprit. The thought of going home that summer and staying there under Lucius’ tutelage until she came of age sent shivers down Evanna’s spine. She began to have nightmares of never having her wand during their training sessions and Lucius throwing Cruciatus and Imperius and worse at her until she finally woke with bright green flashing under her eyelids. She soon took to hiding pillows under her covers to distract the Prefects and then hiding out in the study rooms to avoid awkward questions from her roommates. 

As for her friends (or at least acquaintances) in the other Houses, Bridget shot her dirty looks whenever she saw her, deliberately sitting in the middle of her own Housemates in the classes they shared together. Ginny, however, looked about how Evanna felt. She was pale and shaky, with deep shadows under her eyes. Not for the first time, Evanna wondered if Professor McGonagall all but ignored her Gryffindors. Potter, for his part, seemed to be deliberately avoiding her. She tried not to make anything of it, but her own loneliness and fatigue made that somewhat futile. 

It was in the library towards the end of April that Evanna figured out why Potter had been avoiding her so much. Evanna had been in the history section, looking for more mentions of the léitheoir aigne, when she heard voices on the other side of the stacks. 

“...it has to be Malfoy!” a girl’s voice was saying. 

“But, Mione, we made the Polyjuice Potion and we know it’s not him,” another voice came. 

“Not Draco Malfoy, Ron. His sister.”

“His sister?” Ronald, apparently, replied. “No way.”

“What, you don’t believe a girl could be the Heir of Slytherin?” the girl was saying. “This is the twentieth century Ronald--”

“Hermione, it’s not Evanna.” She immediately recognized Harry’s voice. 

“Just because you think she has pretty eyes doesn’t mean she’s not as bad or even worse than her brother, Harry!” Hermione responded. 

“Personally, I think she’s rather creepy myself,” Ron was saying. 

“She’s not like her brother,” Potter said, his voice rather high. “I don’t think it’s her.”

“Look at the facts, Harry,” Hermione said in a reasonable tone. Evanna felt her dislike for the muggleborn growing with every word she said. “Firstly, no one even knew that Draco Malfoy had a little sister--very suspicious if you ask me. And it wasn’t until she showed up at school that all of this Chamber nonsense starts. Then there’s the fact that you find her nearby every time you hear that voice and find the victims. Thirdly, not a week goes by after Seamus hexes her and he’s Petrified. And finally, she goes away for winter holidays and there is no attacks. As soon as she gets back, there is another attack.”

“Dunno, Hermione,” Ron said. “She seems to be friendly with Ginny, who I know is friends with Lovegood. Why would she Petrify her own friend?”

“Have you ever known a Slytherin who wasn’t okay with stabbing someone in the back?”

At that, Evanna slammed her book down on the shelf and rounded the corner with robes billowing in a marvelous impression of Professor Snape. The three Gryffindors looked shocked to see the subject of their conversation standing in front of them.

“Luna is my best friend. Don’t you dare accuse me of hurting her, you filthy Mudblood!” she hissed, tears springing to her eyes.

“You can’t talk to her like that!” Potter demanded. 

“But she can talk about me like that when I’ve done nothing to her?” Evanna demanded. “I thought you Gryffindors were supposed to be noble!”

“You take it back or else!” Ron Weasley was pointing his wand at her. Evanna snorted, remembering the story her brother had told her about the redhaired boy attempting to hex him on the quidditch pitch. 

“As Potter said, I’m not my brother, Weasel,” she sneered. “You’ll have worse to deal with than a misfiring wand if you try to hex me.”

With that, Evanna spun on her heel and left the library, but she waited until she was safely down the hall before she allowed her sobs to overcome her. Why was she allowing Potter’s opinion of her hold such sway over her emotions? She was better than that. She knew more dark curses than full-grown wizards who had studied the Dark Arts for years and could likely out-duel them too. Her father had always said that Potter was nothing more than a little boy with a lot of luck. Such a boy should not be able to touch her. 

But the tears still fell any way.


	27. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: slight violence/abuse towards end of chapter.

Chapter 26

It was a week later when there was another attack. Evanna and her some of her Housemates were being escorted by Professor Sinistra to lunch when it was announced. 

"All students please report to the Great Hall. Heads of House and professors, please report to the teacher's lounge immediately."

Professor Sinistra quickly pushed the students along into the Great Hall before leaving to go where instructed. The Great Hall was alive with noise as students were rushing about, making sure their friends and siblings were not the ones who had been attacked. Evanna knew she would find Draco, but she was surprised by the amount of relief coming from him when he saw her. Her eyes roved the room at large, picking out Eva and Elin huddled together, then Bridget Travers with some of her Housemates, then Ginny looking worried and withdrawn at the Gryffindor table. She found Potter, sitting with his usual friends.

Except, he was just sitting with Ron Weasley. Granger was nowhere to be found. 

Ronald had noticed Evanna looking their way and nudged Potter. The black-haired boy glared at her from across the Great Hall and she furrowed her eyebrows, stepping towards the Gryffindor table as Potter seemed intent on confronting her. They met somewhere in the middle, with most of the Great Hall watching. 

“I defended you to Hermione, but she was right, wasn’t she?” Potter demanded. 

“What are you talking about?” Evanna said. 

“Hermione’s been Petrified,” he said. Evanna felt her gut sink as her suspicions were confirmed. 

“See, Harry, she’s not even surprised!” Weasley exclaimed behind him. 

“What do you two think you’re doing talking to my sister?” Evanna jumped slightly as she saw her brother walk up behind her, the expression on his face entirely too reminiscent of Lucius. 

“There’s no law stopping us, Malfoy, especially when we’re the only ones who will call her out for it!” Potter said. 

“Did that scar addle your brains Potter? You’re talking nonsense.”

“We know, Malfoy. We know what your creepy little sister is,” Weasley replied. 

Draco gave her an alarmed look; the only ones who knew what exactly she was were their mother and Luna Lovegood. Draco himself had no idea about her mind reading abilities, only that some new powers were making her sick and that the secret was dangerous. 

“Better than you could ever hope to be? Everyone knows that, Weasel,” Draco drawled.

“We know she’s the one behind the attacks,” Potter pitched his voice louder. “Evanna Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin!”

Fear. Disbelief. Incredulity. Anger. Annoyance. A wave of emotion and thought, all the stronger for being directed at her. Her brother was laughing harshly. Her Housemates had stood at their table. Ginny Weasley snuck from the Great Hall. Insults were flying. Rumors spreading.

She was there for all the attacks.

Is she a Parselmouth?

Wouldn’t her brother be the heir?

Always did give me the creeps with those eyes. 

Can’t believe I ever thought she was my friend. 

Evanna cried out, her knees hitting the stone floor as the Great Hall swirled around her. Draco and Potter had both pulled their wands on each other when the doors to the Great Hall opened. Draco looked up and immediately dropped his wand. 

“Father! Professor Snape!” he exclaimed. The words chilled Evanna to her soul. “Potter is here accusing Evanna of nonsense and now she’s having another attack!”

If she had been in any state to do so, Evanna would have hexed Draco for announcing that to all and sundry. As it was, she could feel worry and aggravation coming off the two newcomers. 

“Ah, Mr. Potter, we meet again,” Lucius said coolly. Pure disdain overcame the room as the aristocrat regarded them. “I would thank you to not disparage my heirs. Reducing a little girl to her knees; how Gryffindor of you.”

The unspoken threat hung in the air, not that Gryffindors such as Potter and Weasley would listen to it. 

“It’s Gryffindor to protect the school!” Weasley exclaimed. Self-righteousness.

“What happened, Draco?” Professor Snape asked. She felt him restraining himself from going to her and helping her, the way he had been. He had to act differently in front of Lucius Malfoy.

“They came up to Evanna and accused her of being the heir of Slytherin in front of the entire school!” A wave of panic. “But that’s ridiculous--if it were true I would be the heir, but neither of us speaks Parseltongue!”

“I do not think this is the place to discuss such things, Draco,” Lucius sneered, shoving the tip of his cane into Draco’s ribs. “Help your sister up, I have things to discuss with you both before I meet with the Headmaster.”

Whispers followed them out of the Great Hall as Draco did as he was told. Evanna shuddered at the feel of Lucius’ eyes on her. 

She’s becoming uncontrollable.

Professor Snape lead the way to the Slytherin Common Room, speaking in low voices with her father. 

“...am concerned for safety of other students....”

“...only a few Mudbloods…”

“...not all Mudbloods, there was an attack on a Pureblood…”

“...must trust our Master’s design, or is he not….”

“...the Dark Lord is gone, Lucius, surely you don’t mean…”

Evanna and Draco exchanged looks of alarm. The Dark Lord had fallen the very night Evanna was born, when Draco was not even two years old. Was he behind all these attacks? Evanna remembered reading once that he was the last known Parselmouth… But, no. That was almost too convenient. 

When they entered the Common Room, Lucius turned to Professor Snape. “Thank you, old friend,” he said. When Professor Snape lingered, Lucius’ mouth stretched into something like a grin. “You may leave us, now. I do know my way around the castle.”

Professor Snape’s dark eyes lingered on Evanna. She gave a small nod; away from the Great Hall and all those emotions and thoughts, she felt stronger. At least, strong enough that she could take Lucius’ vitriol. He was never as bad when her brother was present as he was when they were alone training. 

“I want you both to stay in the Common Room as much as possible,” he said once Professor Snape left. “Dumbledore has been ousted as Headmaster as of this afternoon. By the fall, the school will be closed and you, Draco, will be going to Durmstrang.”

Evanna’s heart thumped so hard she was sure that Draco and Lucius had to hear it. He had said Draco would be going to Durmstrang. Did that mean she would be forced to stay home, learning only the Dark Magic Lucius deigned to teach her, hidden away from the world once again?

“You’ve finally done it, Father?” Draco said, excited. Lucius gave a smirk. Her brother and her father looked so similar it was uncanny. “The old man is out?”

“Yes, however,” he held up a hand, “I was not amused by that display in the Great Hall. Entirely too much suspicion has fallen on the House of Malfoy this past year. Discretion is the better part of valor. And you would do well to get whatever deformity your Mother says you have under control.”

He turned to Evanna. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she opened her mouth before she could think better of it.

“It’s not a deformity, it’s a Gift of the Triple Goddess! Not that you would ever care to understand.”

Her head jerked, cheek stinging. Lucius had brought his cane across her face.

“Count yourself lucky I don’t have time for a training session,” he seethed before turning back to Draco. “See that you keep your sister under control, else you may have the same punishment as she.”

With that, Lucius Malfoy swept from the room, leaving Evanna and her brother behind. Draco turned to her. 

“Are you an idiot?” he demanded. “Do you like when Father treats you that way? Because I’m beginning to think you do.”

“Draco--”

“You know he’s impatient, you know he has high expectations,” he said. “And you haven’t been working on what Mother taught you or today in the Great Hall wouldn’t have happened!”

“Draco--”

“I’ve not told Father who you’ve been hanging around since before the Gryffindor Slytherin game, but you’ve seen what happens! I know you’ve been trying to be friendly with Potter, but he’s too much of an idiot to realize what you’re offering him!” Draco spat. “It is time for you to stop playing games, Evanna. I’m not going down with you.”

“I never said I wanted you to!” Evanna shouted back. “I simply asked that you stop following me around! Did you really think I would continue being Potter’s friend after he accused me of attacking all those people? I’m not a monster!”

Draco had opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, eyes roving over her face. 

“I would suggest you go clean yourself up before our Housemates get back down here,” he said. “You’ve got some blood on your lip.”


	28. Chapter 27

Evanna did not sleep in Slytherin House that night. She planned not to sleep there again, with her brother watching and reporting, watching and reporting. She remembered walking up to the Sorting Hat at the beginning of the year and begging to be Sorted anywhere else, but it had insisted that Slytherin was where she belonged. Judging by the suspicious looks she received from the rest of the school, Evanna felt as though she didn't belong anywhere. 

Instead, she stayed in the Hospital Wing by Luna's side until closing hours, when she hid under one of the beds and waited for Madam Pomfret to do her end of night checks before coming out again. Her dreams were full of stone circles and slithering things and always always Lucius' sneer as he cursed and cursed her until she couldn't reach for her wand any longer. 

So she stayed awake. 

The victims of the heir of Slytherin, whoever he or she may be, were like statues around her. There had apparently been a Ravenclaw Prefect who was attacked the same night as Hermione. Eight victims in all, including the Gryffindor ghost and the cat. Evanna studied the face of each one, as though she might be able to dude out what had happened. But, whether their eyes were open or closed, it was like there was some sort of wall blocking of thoughts and feelings she might have been able to see. 

Something white sticking out of Granger's hand had just caught her eye when someone grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around. She flinched, pulling her wand and firing a quick blasting hex without even thinking. 

"Damnit, Malfoy!" 

Evanna covered her mouth with her hands when she realized just who she had hexed: her professor. Something bubbled in her throat as her mind caught up with her ears and eyes. She forced the giggles back down her throat. 

"Detention. For a month," he said. "And that is just for being out of bed after curfew when there is a monster on the loose."

"Didn't you hear, sir?" she said with more bitterness than she truly meant to add. "I'm the creepy Heir of Slytherin."

Professor Snape snorted. "Surely, Ms. Malfoy, you know better than to listen to the likes of Ronald Weasley."

Evanna looked down at her toes. "He's not the only one who thinks that. All of them do."

"And you know this how?"

Almost as soon as he said it, he clamped his mouth shut, being careful not to look her in the eyes. She remembered their confrontation in his office, right after winter holidays. He seemed to know then what she was talking about when she had mentioned her powers, and she knew that he was a man of secrets. 

"I just know, sir," she said quietly. "I'm sorry for hexing you, sir. I didn't realize it was you."

He grunted in reply. "Why are you in here and not in your bed in the dormitories?"

"I needed out of there," Evanna said. 

"If you expect less than a year's worth of detention, then I suggest you give me a better explanation."

"I won’t be here that long,” Evanna said darkly. “They’ll be closing the school soon and then I’ll just be training with Lucius.”

Professor Snape pursed his lips. “Come. It’s time you were in bed. "

"The sun is rising. It'll be time for breakfast soon," Evanna argued. 

"Yet you did not sleep at all last night, did you?" Professor Snape accused. 

“Sleeping is… hard,” Evanna said slowly. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow at her and for a moment she couldn’t help but wonder if he was the mind reader. He began to push her in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room. Before Evanna could give the password, her professor pulled a small bottle out from seemingly nowhere. 

“Take this,” he said. “I will see to it that your roommates do not disturb you. Do not attempt to hide in the study rooms or the hospital wing to avoid sleeping again.”

Evanna squirmed under his gaze. She had thought that no one had noticed… “What is this?”

“Dreamless Sleep,” he said. “You need it. Go.”

Evanna nodded and ducked into the Common Room. She almost immediately ran into Draco. 

“Evanna! Where have you been--you’re wearing the same robes as last night!”

Evanna ignored him. He reached out and roughly grabbed her wrist. “Evanna! I asked you a question!”

Evanna flinched away from him, too tired to hide her immediate response. 

“Oi! What are you doing to her?” Eva demanded from across the room.

“Stay out of it, half-blood,” Draco sneered. “This is family business.”

“And she’s your Housemate, pompous ass,” Elin said, coming up on the other side of Eva. “And you’re in the Common Room, not bloody Malfoy Manor.”

Evanna was rather shocked by the language coming out of her roommate’s mouth, but used the opportunity to wrench free from her brother. Just then, Prefect Padgett came over to their little group.

“Blishwick, Gamp--what’s going on here?” she demanded. 

“This is a fam--”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Malfoy,” she said, holding up a finger. Evanna couldn’t help but smirk at the put-out look on her brother’s face.

“He was stopping Evanna and she looked scared,” Elin said. “And then he was being rude to Eva.”

“I see,” she turned to the siblings. “Malfoy get on to breakfast already.”

“But--”

“Do you want me to report you to Professor Snape for ignoring a Prefect?” she snapped. “From your own House? Not to mention harassing first years.”

“No,” Draco said sullenly. 

“Good, now get on with it,” she said then turned to Evanna. “You weren’t in your bed last night--I take it Professor Snape caught you?”

“Yes, and he gave me Dreamless Sleep,” she said, holding up the bottle. There was a wave of satisfaction from the older girl.

“Right. Then get on up to your bed and see that you take the full dose,” she said. Evanna had the most peculiar feeling that Padgett was the Prefect responsible for keeping Professor Snape informed on her sleeping habits. 

Her roommates made sure she was in her bed with her pajamas on and Dreamless Sleep taken before they left, making Evanna believe that perhaps they too had been keeping tabs on her. But, she did not have much time to wonder for she was soon fast asleep. 

When Evanna woke, it was late in the evening and there was a pit in her stomach. The dorm room was empty, as was the Common Room--it must have been a night that Professor Snape forced all his Slytherins to the library under supervision. With no one to stop her, Evanna made her way out to see if there was maybe a way for her to get ahold of something to eat in the Great Hall. 

She was nearly there when she saw a flash of long red hair disappearing around a corner. She furrowed her eyebrows; what was Ginny doing by herself? As a Gryffindor and a member of a prominent Blood Traitor family she was far less safe than Luna had been.

“Ginny?” Evanna called, hunger forgotten. Her friend didn’t even turn. Evanna ran after her as the girl took a roundabout route to the second floor. There was water on the floor--they must have been near Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom and the wall where the first attack had taken place. 

She saw Ginny standing in front of the wall, a bucket in one hand and red dripping from the other. Evanna gaped in horror as she watched her friend write a new sentence below the first. 

“Her body will lie in the Chamber forever.”

“Ginny! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Evanna demanded, marching up to her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and yanked her around. 

There was something terribly wrong with Ginny. Her warm brown eyes were glazed over and fuzzy, her freckles all but disappeared from her bloodless face. For months, Evanna had felt fear and anxiety rolling off the girl, but now there was only a deep sense of satisfaction. A job well done, a goal accomplished after years of labor. 

So close. 

“You’re not Ginny,” she said, backing away from the other girl. 

“No, I’m not,” not-Ginny smiled. “Evanna Malfoy, but not like a Malfoy. I’ve heard much about you. Interesting that I never knew that my most slippery follower had a second child…”

Evanna was shaking her head, backing away slowly, thinking of some way out of her predicament.

“You are friends with this little blood traitor, aren’t you?” not-Ginny gestured to herself. “I can’t quite be sure that you won’t disrupt my plans, can I? Of course, I would not want to offend dear Lucius by killing you. His purse strings are rather too important to my cause.”

Evanna’s stomach lurched as she realized not-Ginny had drawn her wand. There was a horribly cruel grin on her face as Evanna began to scramble back, not quite daring to turn her back on the entity wearing her friend’s body. 

“Bombarda maxima!”

The world exploded around Evanna. And then everything went black.


	29. Chapter 28

Evanna groaned. Her body ached--she was sure she had a broken foot, maybe some bruised ribs. She was sure that if her hands had been free, she would have felt something wet and sticky at the back of her head. She had been tied against something stony--she cracked an eyelid open. There was a stone pillar at her back, and more within the hall. It looked like Hogwarts, but nowhere she had ever been in Hogwarts. It was a large rectangular room with pillars every few yards and at one end, there was a stone bust that reached all the way to the ceiling. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized Salazar Slytherin from the portrait in the Common Room. 

Laying in front of the stone bust was the prone form of Ginny, red hair splayed out like a fan around her head. In her left hand was a book with a black leather cover, one that Evanna had seen before. Standing over her, Evanna thought that she saw Harry, but no. This boy was too tall to be Harry, and he was almost translucent like a ghost. But something told her he was far more dangerous than a ghost. He had sharp blue eyes and his skin was as pale as Evanna’s, his hair just as dark. She struggled to a more upright position. 

“Ah, good, you’re awake,” the boy said, striding closer to her. “It is fitting that the daughter of one of my most ardent followers bear witness to the moment I finally defeat Harry Potter.”

There was an unnerving sense of familiarity as Evanna looked at the boy, like she had seen him in a photograph or like he was the long-lost relative of an acquaintance or something. 

“Who are you?” she said, voice hoarse. 

“Yes, of course, Lucius would have had to keep his cover,” the boy-ghost mused. “You would not recognize me on sight, would you?”

Evanna did her best to read him, but there was something about this boy’s mind unlike any other she had come across. It was something less than human--not necessarily animalistic, but as though some huge essential piece was missing. All she felt from him was surface level satisfaction that she had felt earlier that night, but beneath that… it was like a raging storm, a deep whirlpool of rage and hatred and darkness. 

Darkness she sometimes felt in herself. 

The thought came to her then, a terrible thought, that twisted up her guts, even as she knew that her father would expect her to celebrate it. But, she was not in Malfoy Manor anymore, she had been out in the world, had met and known and cared for people that this man had and would hurt again. 

“Lord Voldemort,” she whispered, fear laced into every word. 

The boy smiled. “I knew Slytherin put out much smarter stock than the other Houses--I had to spell it out for the Potter boy.”

Evanna’s heart thumped and her mouth felt like cotton. “But--what--how--where--”

“Your little friend over there has become just close enough to me that I was able to take from her,” Lord Voldemort said. “Of course, she’ll be dead soon.”

Evanna struggled against her bonds. “No, please, don’t hurt her! She’s nothing to you!”

“Strange that a Malfoy would be so protective of a Weasley,” he mused, looking her over. “Of course, I would say by your looks that Lucius ought to pay closer attention to his wife--perhaps that would be why I was not informed.”

For some reason, Lord Voldemort seemed amused. Evanna’s mind was spinning wildly, trying to figure out a way out of this situation, some way to save Ginny and herself. But if this was truly Lord Voldemort… what could she hope to do against him? She may have learned to duel from a young age, but she was nothing in comparison to the most dangerous Dark Wizard to walk the earth since Morgana herself. 

“How are you here… my lord?” Evanna added the epithet at the last minute, brain working sluggishly. If she could endear him to her… “My father has taught my brother and I the old ways, though he believed you dead.”

Lord Voldemort sneered. “If he had truly taught you, you would know not to associate with scum like the Weasleys, much less Potter.”

Evanna’s ears perked. There was rustling coming from the pipes surrounding the Chamber. She had almost forgotten about the monster, whatever it was. But, it had to be close, she knew.

"I am sorry, Master, to have disappointed you," she said, mind whirring. The noises were growing closer. "Please forgive my youthful indiscre--"

"Lord Voldemort does not forgive," he said in a voice that made Evanna's blood run cold. He leveled a wand--Harry's wand--at her. She relaxed momentarily when she was released from the ropes hold her to the pillar, rubbing feeling back into her wrists. Lord Voldemort smiled. 

"Crucio."

The word was a whisper, but it did not lack in power. Lucius was an amateur--a lousy amateur. Evanna felt as though her soul was melting from the inside out. Screams ripped from her throat in a way that she thought she may never be able to speak again, but something else happened too. She heard it, the voice she had been hearing all year. 

Master is being hurt. MASTER IS HURT! 

It took a few moments for Evanna to realize that the spell had been lifted. When she did, she took in the look of shock on Lord Voldemort's face as a great snake poured its body into the Chamber, which almost seemed small in comparison. A basilisk. Of course the monster was a bloody basilisk, what else could it have been? All the words Evanna had heard from the older Slytherin quidditch team members flitted through her mind as she closed her eyes tight in protection against the beast. 

But, it was strange. She heard Lord Voldemort shouting. 

“What are you doing?” he was screaming. “Turn around--attack Potter!”

The giant serpent stopped just in front of Evanna and she felt it bump its snout against her almost gently. 

“Is Master okay?” it hissed. 

“Master? I’m your Master, you idiotic creature!” Lord Voldemort was screeching.

Evanna slowly opened her eyes. The basilisk had closed its own eyelids out of deference, its pointy head lingering just in front of Evanna’s face. Its scales were a bright poison green and shimmered in the low light of the chamber, with a darker green diamond pattern dancing down its back. Evanna was mesmerized by the creature, a strange sense of protection welling up within her. The serpent was hers, she knew, though she didn’t know how. 

“Old Master demands I chase speaker of lions,” the basilisk said, seeming to fight an overwhelming urge to turn away from Evanna.

She could understand the snake--the king of snakes, if she was being specific. But that would mean she was a Parselmouth, but how was that possible? 

The snake had turned and Evanna saw him then--Harry Potter, clinging to the bust of Salazar Slytherin, with a sword in his hand. She gaped at the sight--since when did Potter have a sword? The way he was waving it, it had not been very long that he had been playing at a seat at the Round Table. Evanna’s heart lurched as the basilisk stuck at the stone beside Harry, sending pebbles tumbling down onto the floor.

“Yes, yes! Kill him!” Lord Voldemort coaxed the basilisk. Evanna could have been going crazy, but she thought the teenage boy seemed more solid than he had when she had first seen him. If he was more solid, then that must mean… Ginny.

Grabbing onto the pillar beside her, Evanna lifted herself up, shaking as she tried to place weight onto her foot. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she forced her way to her friend lying prone on the ground. She stumbled forward as the basilisk crashed into the bust of Slytherin again and again. Evanna stared in fear at the swaying figure of Harry. Finally, she reached Ginny’s side, desperately trying to shake her awake.

“Ginny, Ginny, wake up, please!” she begged. Her eyes landed on the book.

“Aggghh!”

Harry screamed in unison with the basilisk above her, and great big splashes of blood dropped beside her, hissing upon contact. She watched in horror as Harry stumbled down, a large fang sticking out of his arm. The basilisk had slumped to the ground, breathing heavily. 

“Master… master… help...”

“You may have killed my basilisk, Potter,” Lord Voldemort hissed, “but you’re too late. The Weasley girl is all but dead and I--I will soon be returned to power.”

Evanna looked at the book again, the words on the cover morphing from “Tom Marvolo Riddle” to “I am Lord Voldemort”. A thought occurred to her. 

“Harry!” she yelled. Potter looked at her, green eyes glazed in pain. Evanna took the diary in her shaking hands and threw the diary. The injury he was nursing did nothing to mute his Seeker’s abilities for he caught the diary with one hand. A surge of anger flared from Lord Voldemort so strong that it had Evanna seeing stars.

With a cry, Harry pulled the basilisk fang from his arm. 

“No, don’t--”

With a defiant glare, Harry plunged the fang over and over into the diary. Evanna closed her eyes against the surge of fury that went out from the almost translucent boy. A blast seemed to flatten everything around them. After a moment, Evanna opened her eyes. Harry had fallen in a heap beside her and Ginny. 

“Your arm,” Evanna said. “It’s poison.”

Harry looked paler than Evanna had ever seen him--not pale. He was gray. His breaths were coming in short pants and his forehead was glistening with sweat. 

I’m dying.

“Harry?” Ginny rose slowly. “Evanna? Oh, Merlin.”

The redhaired girl took the two in and clasped her hands over her mouth. Her big brown eyes filled with tears. 

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry….

“Listen, Ginny,” Harry said. “Your brother and Professor Lockhart are that way--follow the tunnel to the rocks, they should have cleared a large enough hole by now. I think you’ll have to help Ma--Evanna. She’s pretty hurt.”

“But what about you?”

Evanna was shaking her head, eyes full of tears. “No, no way, Potter. Don’t be a bloody martyr--”

Harry smilled. “That’s not very ladylike, Malfoy,” he said. 

“You’re coming with us!”

“Ginny needs to get you out of here, I heard--”

I heard you screaming.

“You’ll die, Potter!” she all but screeched, shaking all over. She knew that this time it was not just the after effects of the Cruciatus. 

A large bird landed beside them, red and orange and gold. Harry pet the bird with trembling hands. Evanna turned away, refusing to allow the older boy to see her cry. 

“Hey, Fawkes,” he whispered. “You were brilliant. I just--I just wasn’t good enough.”

Evanna choked on the sob that threatened to burst out. No matter what he had accused her of, Harry Potter, for a brief moment in time, had been her first friend. He was kind and he was good and he didn’t deserve to die and Merlin they were all only children. 

“Evanna, look, it’s crying!”

Evanna turned to look in confusion. Why would Ginny comment on that? Then she remembered: phoenix tears had healing powers. As she watched, the hole in Harry’s arm healed, leaving only a pink raised scar on his forearm. He gave the two girls a surprised look, and then a boyish grin. Evanna pulled herself to her feet with Ginny’s help before both girls wrapped their arms around Harry as the three revelled in the fact that they were alive.


	30. Chapter 29

The three sat together for several minutes, simply trying to recover from what had just happened. 

“Master…. Master, help…”

Both Evanna and Harry looked up at once. The basilisk’s eyes were rolled up and its breaths were coming out in shallow breaths. There was something within Evanna pulling her towards the creature, something in her that knew the snake was hers.

“Help me,” she said to her friends. Her foot was so swollen that Evanna found it best to simply Vanish her shoe and gasped. It was all but the size of her head. Harry swung one of her arms around his shoulder, Ginny put the other on hers. Together, the three limped forward. Without adrenaline propelling her, Evanna could feel the aches in every inch of her body, sweat pouring off her forehead. Slowly, she knelt beside the creature and put a hand on its snout.

“Your Master is gone,” she said in a hissing voice. Ginny gave her a look of shock, but Evanna ignored it. 

“My old Master.... New Master is here… You are New Master.”

Harry gaped at her. “Guess I wasn’t wrong…. Makes sense that Malfoys are related to Voldemort.”

“Shut it, Potter,” she growled, before turning back to the snake. “Will you hurt anyone else?”

“Never wanted to hurt…. Was meant only to protect….”

“Potter, call Fawkes over here,” Evanna ordered. 

“Malfoy, you can’t be--”

“You want to get out of here? Call the bird.”

Harry sighed and did as Evanna requested. She looked at the bird in the eye, then at the basilisk. 

“I know it’s crazy,” she said. “But please? It’s been abused.”

The phoenix blinked slowly before squawking loudly and flying up to the great snake. Evanna watched in fascination as the bird cried over the basilisk’s wounds and slowly, they each sealed themselves over. Slowly, the basilisk began to stir and Ginny let out a little gasp as Harry moved to stand in between the girls and the serpent. Evanna, however, felt absolutely no anxiety or fear in the situation. 

“If you could, keep your eyes closed,” she asked politely. The basilisk seemed to nod, keeping its great eyes closed shut. “Do you have a name?”

“Gadel Glas, New Master,” the basilisk responded. Evanna furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Mind if I just call you Del?” she asked. 

“Whatever Master requires.”

“Can you take us out of here?” she asked. 

“Of course,” Del responded. “Where in the castle do you wish to go?”

“You probably need to go to the Hospital Wing,” Harry said immediately in English. Evanna shuddered at the thought. 

“Take us to the entrance of the Headmaster’s Office,” Evanna said. She hoped against hope that her Head of House was not indulging his anti-social tendencies during such an emergency. She was sure that all the parents involved would have arrived at the school already and did not have it in her to face Lucius Malfoy all alone at the moment. 

“As you wish, Master,” Del replied. 

“Fawkes, go and find Ron and Professor Lockhart,” Harry ordered. The bird blinked and was gone in a flash. 

“You brought Professor Lockhart?” Evanna asked. 

“Long story. Get on the snake.”

Harry and Ginny first helped Evanna up onto Del’s back before clambering on themselves. Soon, they were traversing the walls of the castle, pipes passing by at tremendous speed. It was barely ten minutes later that the three children found themselves standing in front of a gargoyle statue, covered in blood and slime and all manner of nasty things. 

“It goes without saying,” Evanna said before they went in. “But maybe don’t mention that I accidentally acquired a Level 5 Dangerous magical creature as a pet?”

“You’re making that thing your pet?” Ginny exclaimed. Evanna shrugged. 

“I’m allergic to cats.”

Something in the magic of the castle seemed to know that this was no moment for passwords because as soon as the three stepped up to the gargoyle, the stairs to the Headmaster’s office took them immediately to the door. Evanna could hear sobs behind the heavy oak and was already dreading the headache sure to come in the next few moments. Not that her foot and entire body wasn’t already aching enough. 

Ever the Gryffindor, Harry opened the door for all three children to stumble through. Headmaster Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, fingers tented together, as Professors McGonagall and Snape stood on either side of him. On one side of the room was a pudgy woman with red hair and her balding husband, both looking absolutely devastated. They could only be Ginny’s parents. On the other side were Evanna’s own parents. She was shocked to see the red rims around her mother’s eyes, but her father was utterly stoic. 

“Could someone please get me some Skele-Gro?” Evanna asked the room at large. She was shaking so hard that Harry and Ginny was the only reason that she was still upright. “And maybe a chair?”

The next hour and a half was a blur of potions and spells and emotions and questions. So many, many questions. Her mother barely let go of her through the entire story, but she could feel her father becoming angrier and angrier. The strange thing was, so was Professor Snape. The looks he was shooting at her father should have incinerated Lucius on the spot, but somehow he remained uncombusted. Every now and then Narcissa would send nervous glances between the two men, but mostly she just gripped Evanna to her. Her mother had never been so demonstrative in the past.

Neither Harry nor Ginny mentioned how Evanna had saved the basilisk, allowing the adults to draw their own conclusions. Nevertheless, she felt Dumbledore’s piercing blue eyes resting on her many times throughout the sordid tale. 

She has a role to play, but what? And for which side?

Finally, finally, the story was over. All the adults in the room were silent. Dumbledore slowly stood behind his desk, ever the venerable grandfatherly figure that Lucius had so often mocked.

“I think the most important question we must ask ourselves is how did Lord Voldemort’s old school things end up in the hands of a student?”

His eyes were focused solely on Lucius. Her father shifted. 

“Yes, that is most concerning.”

Miserable old coot, things were so close to righting themselves tonight and not even the great Albus Dumbledore could have--

“I think it time for the children to get to bed,” her mother said. “It has been a trying night.”

“I think you are right,” Mrs. Weasley replied. 

“I will escort you to the Hospital Wing, Mrs. Malfoy, Mrs. Weasley,” Professor Snape said. Evanna felt a wave of surprise from Professor McGonagall, but at that point she was swaying on her feet and no longer truly cared.

“But sir, I really don’t want to--”

“You’re going to the infirmary and that is final, Evanna Belinda,” her mother said. She saw Harry mouth ‘Belinda’ out of the corner of her eye and made a solemn promise to hex him later for it. 

Narcissa herself saw to it that Evanna’s robes were transfigured into pajamas and tucked her up to her chin in covers, though shivers still wracked Evanna’s body.

“Oh, darling, are you still cold? Should I cast a warming charm?” she said worriedly.

“No, they just won’t stop for awhile. Crucio’s always linger,” Evanna said casually. Narcissa froze.

“I’m sorry, how do you know this?” she said, her voice dangerous.

At that moment, Lucius walked into the Hospital Wing, a face worse than thunder. He did not even look at Evanna as he marched up to his wife. 

“Come, Narcissa, we must walk to the Apparition point,” he said roughly.

“Walk? But where is Dobby?”

“That Potter boy--” Lucius cut himself off and swung his glare in Evanna’s direction. “You had best be ready to train when you get home.”

“I think we may need to rethink her training, Lucius,” Narcissa said, a faint snarl to her voice. 

“Mother, don’t,” Evanna said. Narcissa closed her mouth but glared at her husband before walking around to kiss Evanna’s forehead. 

“Take care, my darling,” she said softly. “And remember I love you always.”

Lucius took his wife harshly by the arm and drug her from the room just as Professor Snape walked in. Evanna watched as her mother and professor exchanged significant glances before her parents left.

“Sir!” she exclaimed as soon as he made it to her side. “You have to go after them--he’s so angry and she and she--”

Evanna’s breath was catching in her throat. Professor Snape laid a hand on her own.

“Breath, Ms. Malfoy, breath,” he said, though she could feel the waves of anxiety coming off of him. Evanna looked at him with fear-filled eyes. “We’ve discussed this before--your mother is a fully capable witch able to make decisions for herself.”

Despite evidence to the contrary. 

“Sir--”

“I will hear no more of this tonight,” he said. “You can share more of your worries in the many, many detentions you will be serving for running off like a Gryffindor with a basilisk roaming the castle.”

Evanna frowned. “But sir, that’s not--” 

“--fair, I know, you students are all experts on fairness,” he said flippantly. He gave her a stern look. “You are not to go on any more of Potter’s adventures, do you understand?”

“I didn’t truly mean to go on this one, sir.”

“Evanna,” he said sharply. She blinked, shocked. “I need you to understand this. There are more powers at play than you could hope to understand at your age. If we learned anything tonight, it is that the Dark Lord will be back. And you and Potter naturally fall on opposite sides. You could very well be putting yourself and him in more danger by your continued association.”

Evanna frowned. She had heard her father’s rants about blood purity and politics, yes, and she largely agreed that wizards should come out of hiding. She had lived her entire life isolated from the world and hated it; yet that was how their entire world had to live. But…

Tonight she had experienced Lord Voldemort’s cruelty. Toward herself, toward poor Del. Toward her friends. He was just as terrible as Lucius, but with more power to back him up. The world she lived in now had its own cruelties and injustices; could she really support a world even crueler and more injust?

“I understand sir.”

“Good,” Professor Snape stood, turning on his heel, robes swirling. Evanna bit her lip.

“But what if I don’t want to be on a side?”

Professor Snape faltered in his steps just slightly, but enough that Evanna knew he had heard her. But then he continued to walk away.


	31. Chapter 30

The next day, all of the Petrification victims had been released. As soon as Evanna was allowed to go, she rushed to the Great Hall to the Ravenclaw table. Sure enough, Luna was sitting there with her radish earrings and bright yellow shoes.

“Luna!” she exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re alright!”

The other girl turned and smiled brightly, hopping out of her seat as Evanna rushed up beside her, hugging her tightly. 

“I’m quite happy to see you, too. Though, of course, I saw you all those times you came to visit.”

“You did, but--”

It was then that Bridget slunk over to their table. “Hey, Luna, Evanna.”

“Travers,” Evanna said coolly. The other girl winced. 

“Yeah, I deserve that,” she said. “But listen--I found a nice out of the way classroom that no one seems to use. There’s a sign that claims it’s the middle of the castle--maybe we could all study there next year?”

Evanna nearly said something when she saw Ginny out of the corner of her eye. The other girl seemed torn, both wanting to go and see Luna, but a look of pure shame on her face at the same time.

I caused all of this. 

Just as she was about to walk away, Evanna called her name.

“Ginny! Travers has a question for us!” she said. The ginger seemed to contemplate making a run for it, but then Travers marched over to her and slung an arm around her shoulders to drag the girl back into the circle. 

“Tra--Bridget found a place where we could all go to study next year, if you want to join us,” Evanna said. 

“We’d be like the Founders Four reincarnated,” Luna said. Ginny sent Evanna a look and she shuddered. Some of the things Luna said sometimes were rather too close to the truth, for all the girl’s dreamy facade. 

The four girls sat together at the Ravenclaw table to eat their breakfast that morning, which would soon become a common sight in Hogwarts, and Draco did not comment on it once.

Evanna soon found herself wandering the castle as she had no exams to worry about, according to Bridget Dumbledore had cancelled them in celebration. That suited Evanna just fine. Soon she found herself standing in front of Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Somehow, as soon as they had come up from the Chamber, the words had disappeared as though they had never existed in the first place. Everything was clean and tidy, no evidence of the attack on Evanna herself there. Evanna pulled her wand when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. 

“Whoa!” Harry exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “What you got your wand out for?”

“Well, I do believe I owe you a hex,” Evanna said archly, forcing calm into her voice. 

“What for?”

“Making fun of my middle name? Really?”

Harry chuckled and relaxed. “I figured that the whole accusing you of being the attacker was worse.”

Evanna shrugged then smiled herself, lowering her wand. “Yes, that was rather gauche of you.”

“Gauche?”

“Rude. Uncouth. I could sue you for defamation of character,” Evanna said, pointing her nose in the air. Harry sighed. 

“I am really sorry about that. I know--I knew Luna was a friend of yours. You wouldn’t hurt her,” he said. “You wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

Evanna looked down at the floor. She remembered what Professor Snape had said in the Hospital Wing; a time was coming that she and Harry would be pushed to opposing sides. It would cause harm for them to be in any way friendly with each other. But.... Last night they had triumphed. The Dark Lord had tried to rise, had tried to kill Ginny and Harry, had tortured Evanna, but they held him back. 

That time might come. But it was not here now. 

“Thank you, Potter,” she said. “I suppose I won’t sue you.”

“Or hex me?”

“I make no promises on that one.”

The pair was quiet for a moment, then Harry looked up at her. “You knew I was a Parselmouth--why didn’t you tell me you were one too?”

Evanna blinked. “I honestly didn’t know.”

Harry frowned. “I know I am not the Heir of Slytherin--Dumbledore said something last night that Voldemort must have passed on some of his powers when he gave me this,” Harry touched his forehead. Despite the scar being so prominent, sometimes Evanna forgot it was there. “Does that mean you are somehow the Heir of Slytherin?”

Evanna gave him a sharp look. “I thought we already established that I’m not.”

“I don’t mean that you were the attacker,” Harry said quickly.

“Pureblood families are known for being rather close,” Evanna admitted. “I’m probably related to the majority of my House and then some. But that was a thousand years ago and Salazar Slytherin was not the only Parselmouth to ever walk the earth. Just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s only in one bloodline.”

Harry nodded consideringly. He was about to speak again when a new voice joined them. 

“There you are Evanna! I’ve been trying to check on you all day--are you still hurt? Mother said you were shaking--Potter,” Draco stopped himself. The two boys stood in opposition to each other. One fair and like ice, the other dark and like fire. 

“I’ll, um, see you around, Malfoy,” Harry said awkwardly. “Have a good summer.”

“You too, Potter,” she said, watching as he left and sent one last dirty look at Draco as he disappeared around the corner. She shook her head at the adolescent males before turning on her brother. “What? Spying on me again?” she demanded.

She was rather surprised by the hurt she felt coming from Draco, though his face gave nothing away. 

“No,” he said. “I wanted to visit you in the Hospital Wing last night, but it was too late and they wouldn’t let me. And then when I tried again this morning you were already gone and…”

Evanna looked at her shoes feeling incredibly guilty. This was still her big brother, for all his faults. In the end, he cared about her and she cared about him. 

“I saw the hallway last night and they determined it was your blood and I found your wand in the rubble. I was scared, Ev,” he said. “You’re my baby sister.”

“Then do you think you could act like it? You treat me like I’m father’s prisoner!” she demanded, not quite ready to forgive him again. 

“I’m just trying to look out for you--keep you out of trouble--Ev, you fought against the Dark Lord last night,” he pushed back. Evanna bit her lip, knowing she would have to face the music sooner or later and it would be far easier to do so with Draco than it would with Lucius. 

“I--I don’t think it was really him. Not the way Father and Mother have always described him, at least,” she said. “There was something… off about the construct. Not completely… human.”

She shuddered, remembering that ocean of rage she had felt, the familiarity of it. Draco seemed to be unable to hold back any longer, throwing his arms around her and holding her just as tightly as their mother had the night before. 

“Don’t ever scare me like that again, do you hear me?” Draco demanded of her. Her brother demanded everything; she had never known him to simply ask. 

“I’ll do my best, brother dear,” she said teasingly, but hugged her brother back. 

Almost overnight, Evanna had become a superstar within Slytherin. Everyone wanted to know what the infamous Chamber of Secrets was like. Some even begged for her to show them, but she merely said that you had to be a Parselmouth to open it, carefully not mentioning that she was one herself. That seemed to only open more questions, which Evanna was still answering when she was riding home on the train. 

Her compartment was rather crowded, with of course Bridget, Luna, and Ginny, but also with Eva and Elin, one of Bridget’s Hufflepuff friends and even Colin Creevey. That did not count all of the visitors circulating, wanting to hear more about the Chamber of Secrets from Ginny and Evanna both, as well as Draco, the Weasley brothers, and even Harry checking in on them at regular intervals. At one point, after the fifteenth person had come to ask about the Chamber, Ginny stood up and slammed the compartment door in the visitors face.

“I am tired of bloody questions,” she said to the compartment at large. They all laughed and went back to their game of Exploding Snap.

As they grew closer to London, Evanna sought out Draco in his compartment, ready to find their mother on the platform and get home to take a nap after all the questions. 

“No longer a first year,” Draco said as they climbed onto the platform. He gave her a look. “Though I doubt anyone will believe that.”

“Jokes about my height are so plebeian, Draco,” Evanna replied snootily. “It’s like if I were to say your hair looks like a helmet.”

“Excuse me?”

Evanna stopped him as she saw who was waiting for them. It was not her mother as she had expected; in fact, Narcissa was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Lucius stood before them, arms crossed with a sneer across his face.

“Come,” he said. 

“But where is Mother?” Draco said. “She said she would be meeting us.”

“She will not be meeting us.”

Evanna felt a pit open up in her stomach as she remembered the night her parents had left her in the Hospital Wing. Everything had been going so well, why did she think it would last, that there wasn’t something horrible waiting around the corner? Draco did not seem to have the same sense of foreboding that Evanna did.

“Is she ill? Is she at home?”

“She is not at the Manor,” he said, a snarl to his lips. “Come.”

“But--”

“I do not want to hear another question about your mother,” Lucius snarled, whipping around to level a glare at Draco. Her brother flinched back, grabbing Evanna’s hand instinctively. Lucius did not miss the gesture and his scowl deepened. “Be ready to train in half an hour. Both of you.”

Evanna exchanged looks with her brother, both of their eyes filled with fear. But, there was nothing to be done for it, was there?

“Yes, Father,” Evanna said softly. Lucius took both their arms in a cruel grip and they Disapparated away.


	32. Epilogue

The woman stumbled up the cobblestone road, doing her best to ignore the trail of red dots she left behind her. An early summer storm was raging around her, obscuring her vision, but she knew the way. She had been there often enough, far more often than was truly proper. Still, the dark road seemed to stretch on in front of her and she wondered if she would make it in time. 

She wondered if she would finally be safe.

Her heart pounded inside her chest as she thought of the ones she had left behind. But, there were larger, more dangerous secrets at play than the man she liked to visit at night when her cruel husband was away. Secrets that would damage her children and their standing in the world more than her husband could. Besides, both of them were worth something to him. He would be cruel, he would hurt them, but there were lines she knew he could not cross. He needed an heir. 

He needed his heir. 

Finally, the woman reached the dark door. She hoped he still kept those wards on his house, that informed him even at Hogwarts that he had a visitor. If not she knew she would not last the night with the curses her husband had placed on her. She banged on the door.

“Please! Open up! Please help me!” she all but sobbed, leaning heavily against the dark wood. Her vision was swimming in and out. Finally, finally, the door opened. 

“Narcissa,” the man whispered in quiet horror as she quite literally fell into his arms. He quickly pulled her inside out of the rain and began casting warming charms and diagnostic spells.

“I left,” she said. “But he doesn’t know about this. Don’t tell anyone--keep the children safe, please.”

“What did he do to you?” he demanded, voice shaking with repressed rage.

“Transmogri--transmogrifi--”

The world was fading away from Narcissa. She felt him shaking her as she sank into the black.

“Narcissa! NARCISSA!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with me this long and for all your kind comments, as well as to let you know what to expect in Part 2.
> 
> We'll be picking up around the Yule Ball, and things will be significantly darker, with some flashbacks to what we've missed. For that reason, the rest of the series will be rated M. Also, I will be starting my MFA program for Costume Design in about two weeks, so updates will not be frequent at all. I will do my best to put out something every couple weeks, but most of my posting will be happening during breaks from the school year. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading Eyes of Violet! You can expect the first chapters of the sequel to be up shortly!


End file.
